KUCHING: Of course raising awareness about the legal actions that can be taken against negligent parents and guardians who leave their children without proper supervision is a good initiative, there is a need, however, to identify the reasons behind this issue.
Sarawak Women for Women Society (SWWS) president Dr Angie Garet said awareness about the laws was only part of addressing the issue.
“First, we must find out why parents or guardians leave their children unattended. Is it wilful neglect or lack of options?
“Given how expensive childcare is, the low salaries are and the fact that many centres have closed, it is likely that many parents and guardians struggle to find alternative care when they, especially single parents, need to go to work or run errands,” she told New Sarawak Tribune.
She said awareness campaigns could heighten the community’s awareness of the dangers of leaving young children alone and how to minimise the dangers.
Adding on, she said awareness campaigns could also stress the need that young children should always have a responsible adult present.
“Just recently, the federal government announced more stringent regulations for people providing home care to children. It is anticipated that many caretakers currently offering the service will close.
“As such, there is a need for more affordable and accessible day-care to be available, especially for the B40 group,” she said.
At the same time, she suggested that neighbours do their part by helping one another.
“This is so that it would be easier for mums to nip out to the supermarket while a trusted neighbour keeps an eye on the children.
“More options of working from home would be helpful, but such jobs are rare for the B40 group unfortunately,” she added.
