After viewing the video clips on the child abuse at My First Skool Toa payoh, one cannot but feel the pain of the poor child and the parents. Shit, how could such wickedness still happened in this first world city? How could it happen in broad daylight in front of so many adults and none of them feel any sense of responsibility and guilt to care and protect a helpless child? How could a child be left in the hands of a cruel adult while the rest turned to look the other way?
This incident is the same as the intern that was slapped in front of so many colleagues for so long. And the child abuse will continue if the parents did not have the presence of mind to check on the CCTV, or for some reasons the CCTV tape was not shown to them.
There is no point talking about this any more. The sickness of this society must be put right immediately. Every adult in the school must be sacked right away to put a message across that they cannot turn a blind eye to cruelty against children, helpless and vulnerable children. Not only parents must be made to feel safe when they left their children in schools or childcare centres, the children must be protected from being bullied and tortured behind the backs of their parents. How can parents be at ease to put their children in the care of others, supposedly trained and professionals?
The message that everyone in the school must be responsible for the well being of little children must get across. Not reporting abuses is as good as being accomplice to the vicious attack and guilty of the act.
And the torturers of children must be put behind bars, just like employers beating and torturing maids and foreign workers. This City is sick to the core if such cruelties are not nip in the bud and allowed to continue in childcare centres or schools, or in workplace again and again. Even one more case is one more case too much.
Why is it that no Sinkies will ever stand up to right a wrong, to defend the weak or a wicked act? After so many decades of being conditioned, better not to speak up, just obey, just do as being told, do not defy and oppose authority, this is what Sinkies have become. Not my business, and I did not do it, so I am innocent.
The people, a first world and well educated people, must be empowered to look after themselves, their environment and their neighbours and fellow citizens, especially the weak and helpless. But no, they are all kiasi, kiasu and kia tai chee. Don’t get yourself into trouble, into other people’s trouble. In this child abuse case, it is the wrongdoing of the offending teacher, so not their business.
There is a need to empower the people, educate the people to stand up for their rights and to stand up for what is right and against what is wrong. We are turning a nation of people into unthinking and unfeeling robots that only care about themselves and nothing else.
Chua Chin Leng AKA Red Bean
*The author blogs at http://mysingaporenews.blogspot.sg/