ANN/THE STAR – Experts urge parents to keep a vigilant eye on their children or use GPS tracking devices to avoid the heartache of having a child go missing.
Crime analyst Kamal Affandi Hashim stresses that children can disappear for various reasons, including kidnapping or abduction.
“While some cases may involve a child hiding to escape or running away, there are also serious risks such as abduction that cannot be ignored,” he warns.
“The reasons behind abductions can vary widely, including sexual exploitation, custody disputes, ransom demands, or personal vendettas,” Kamal Affandi explained.
He emphasised that parents should recognise that young children are often viewed as easy targets by abductors.
“Although children may seem like vulnerable prey, this is no excuse for parents to let their guard down or neglect to supervise them properly,” he cautioned.
Although technology can be used to monitor and keep track of a person’s whereabouts, keeping a close eye on one’s child is still the best safety measure, added Kamal Affandi.
He noted that there are multiple tracking apps and operating systems, as well as tracking devices, which could be used by parents as an added safety layer.
Based on police statistics, there were 4,695 missing persons reported between 2019 and April this year involving children below 18.
A total of 82 cases involved missing children below six years old while 305 cases involved those between the ages of seven and 12.
A total of 4,542 were found while 153 are still missing.
Selangor had the highest number of missing persons involving those below 18 with a total of 826 cases, of which 52 are still missing.
Child activist Roland Edward did not discount the possibility of human trafficking syndicates behind some of these cases.
“There is a rise in such syndicates using social media like Telegram and WhatsApp to entice children as most of them spend a lot of time on their devices with zero parental supervision.
“These syndicates are aware that social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook and TikTok are based abroad and make it harder for authorities here to investigate. By that time, it is too late,” he said when contacted.
Roland cited an example in which an unknown person used social media to entice an underage girl to meet up with him at night by offering her an iPhone for just MYR50.
“There was also a case where a Hong Kong-based company claiming to be a modelling agency sent clothes to an underage girl in Johor who was aspiring to be a model.
“They made a video call to the girl and asked her to pose in their clothes before (tricking) her to eventually pose naked,” he added.
Roland said that most missing children are eventually found although some may have ended up as victims of either the sex trade, forced labour or organ trafficking in neighbouring countries.
Although there are tracking devices or apps to keep tabs on the whereabouts of a child, Roland said such technology could be easily manipulated.
Besides parents keeping their children in plain sight, Roland said that education was also the best preventive measure against their child going missing.
“Teach them to shout or scream for help, and basic self defence techniques on how to escape if being held. This includes hand signals or gestures to indicate that they need help,” he said.
Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) commissioner Prof Datuk Noor Aziah Mohd Awal said parents should be educated on child safety.
“Nowadays, there are so many things happening out there and I believe that organised crime is behind some of the missing cases. Everyone should be more alert,” she said, adding that although tracking devices may be worn by a child, it could easily be removed by the perpetrator.
“Parents must make sure that they hold children’s hands and monitor their movements when in crowded public areas. Don’t allow them to wander alone in parks or areas where festivities are going on,” she said.
Alliance for a Safe Community chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said that parents are duty bound under the law to ensure that their children are supervised and not left alone.
“The incident should be a lesson to all parents to keep an eye on their children when in public places. If the parents are not around, then there should be a guardian to keep watch over them,” he said.
Lee cautioned that there could be syndicates which prey on young children for nefarious reasons.
