Please watch this video which is a public service announcement on the Amber Alert. It lets the public know what to do when they hear the Amber Alert go off via radio or TV. Please note the sense of urgency. Seriously, we should have this system in Malaysia. When please Tuan IGP?
I’m still wondering why Malaysia has never adopted the Amber Alert when Sussex Police (where eight-year-old Sarah Payne was abducted and murdered in 2000) had already adopted the Child Rescue Alert on November 14th 2002. The Sussex Police here says it has since been mainstreamed into Sussex Police’s missing persons policy. In Surrey, the Child Rescue Alert relies heavily on the help and involvement of the public and is a partnership between Police with local TV and Radio and is supported by local businesses.
Basically, TV and Radio have agreed to interrupt programmes to issue the alert message when requested to do so by the police. Based on the ‘Amber Alert’, the Child Rescue Alert works by interrupting television and radio programmes with news flashes that a youngster has been abducted, alerting the public mmediately – asking them to be vigilant and call 999 or given number if they have crucial information. Radio stations broadcast this alert every 15 minutes for four hours while TV stations use a ‘ticker tape’ at the bottom of the screen.
This initiative was later followed by other police departments in the UK. A news report in the Daily Mail here says that TV channels and radio stations are to broadcast emergency alerts to ask the public for help tracing abducted children. The report states that the scheme will be rolled out across Britain.
Maybe I have been living in another planet but I have yet to hear this from the Police in Malaysia. Not even the media has picked up on this? Will the new Child Protection Policy in Malaysia have provisions for the Amber Alert (Okay lah, maybe they don’t like the fact that bloggers have dubbed it the Nurin Alert). Name it whatever but please address this issue Tuan IGP! The UK officially launched the Child Rescue Alert nationwide in 2006 and the BBC reports here the system has been started in the West Midlands.
What’s happening in Malaysia? When will we have this system in place? I am not blogging about the Nurin Alert for any reason other than as concerned parent and citizen. No politics please. I just wish someone would answer my question: “Malaysia bila lagi nak ada sistem Amber Alert ni?” Maybe then I’ll stop blogging about it.
Tembam,
We cannot expect the Ministers to read the blogs and take note of the proposed Nurin Alert system.
We must bring it into the open, present it to the authorities, the IGP, the community leaders.
Jasni has taken the first step in the meeting where he presented Jazimin’s letter and appeal for Nurin Alert. It would be good if he could hold more such talks at the relevant organisations/women’s and children’s protection groups/community leaders/wakil rakyat/wakil parlimen and later if possible find a way to get it in the papers for more exposure.
You and Nuraina have written very well on the system. If you could put it in a formal format, then it could be distributed to many people/organisations and people would become more aware of it, especially when the many examples where the system has saved kids are included.
We have to push it, get the word and the proposal out to as many organisations and parties, maybe even try to meet the IGP himself.
It’s not gonna work if we depend on them to read our opinions.
Tehsin
Good morning Tehsin, you are right. I certainly do not expect the Minister to read blogs. The problem is I suspect some quarters, including newspaper editors, will always think there is an ulterior motive for all this pressure. I am thoroughly perplexed as to why this system has not been adopted in Malaysia. I had expected Datuk Seri Shahrizat to say something along with the IGP on the importance of getting such a system in place because I am sure they do know about this system already, not because of the blogs. Don’t even mention us for heaven’s sake. I am not a politico by a long shot but admit am very opinionated. My weakness that comes from having a brain and a heart I suppose. A bit of sarcasm there Tehsin!
The Amber Alert has been around for many years in the US and the EU. It is now becoming an issue of global concern due to the trafficking of women and children. Malaysia is on the global network for all these missing persons initiatives. Yet, there is nothing to address the domestic issue of very young missing children. I am focusing more on very young children becuase they are most in immediate danger for their lives.
People are mixing too many issues when what we actually need is a simple system that is better coordinated. I keep blogging about the system because I am not sure if people realise that it needs more than citizens, it needs the police and the media. Citizens can only do so much. In all those countries, it is the police that controls the Amber Alert and there are laws to protect against abuse. Even to use tools like wireless technology does not mean anyone can issue the Amber Alert.
The emails I sent was meant to draw attention to the materials I had researched and posted on the blog, not to popularise my blog. I do hope they are looking into it. It will take time for the IGP to come out with a statement I suppose. The blog seemed the best way to get the message across. Maybe you are right about writing a letter. Better than being dejected ya. Thanks Tehsin, you are quite a woman. Pagi2 dah bersemangat. Go Tehsin!
Tembam,
Is there any way to get the TV stations like TV3 to highlight this matter? I am a bit perplexed as to why they haven’t done that yet…
Tu la Pi Bani, I pun naik pening dibuatnya pada bulan2 puasa ni. Apalah sebabnya kan? Takkan lah pasal bloggers yg kecoh depa nak keep quiet kot. It is such a good system and proven in many countries pulak tu. Kalau politician nak ambik credit ambik la, asalkan sistem ni diwujudkan.
Pi Bani, Pi Bani dah 50 tahun dah kita di Merdeka, dah puas dah kita melaung lagu Malaysia Ku Gemilang ikut Roy nyanyi dalam TV, tapi bila rakyat mengeluh dan begitu bersedih disebabkan tragedi Nurin, depa diam. Tak taulah apa lagi nak cakap dah.
Tembam,
Why don’t we make a list of the parties we need to highlight this matter to and meet them directly one by one?
IGP, Shahrizat, TV Stations, Papers, Community leaders, various Women’s and Children’s Groups, etc2. etc2.
I wish I could just walk up and do it, but I have two young ones in tow and a soon to arrive sick Mum in a couple of days( and no maid…sigh)
We need to physically go around and garner support and and give talks. Jasni seems to have started the ball rolling in the right direction. maybe jazimin/jasni can call for a press conference or get some reporters to write up on the issue since it is related to Nurin’s death. Nurin’s sacrifice MUST not be in vain.
This is her legacy. Saving other kids’ lives.
tehsin
Hello Tembam,
I’m Moses… we had some exchange of comments over at Nuraina’s blog previously. Am registering my visit with you and bookmarking your blog for further visit especially on this child alert/protection matter and any other matters of mutual interest.
One of it that came up at Aisehman is the issue of lead in paint. Will also keep an eye on this because a lot of toys from China are tainted with this kind of material and many parents buy such cheap toys for their children. Some of them put this in their mouth too. I need to look into my boy collection and throw out those cheap car toy that was made in China.
Regards
Tehsin, kat Malaysia ni kalu kita nobody siapa nak dengar cakap kita. Jasni and Jazimin are affected parties, nanti orang kata ada ulterior motive pulak. I rasa issue guna nama Nurin pada Amber Alert ni yg they don’t want to address. After all, they raised the issue that parents can be prosecuted under the law kan? Yg penting, they should have the system, tak kisah lah nak pakai nama apa ya tak? It has to be coordinated and controlled by the Police so that there is no abuse. Citizens can only do so much but what we can do is highlight the need for such a system. Doa2 jgn lah ada lagi tragedi macam Nurin ni, tak kiralah anak siapa pun.
Tehsin, you must put the two girls as your top priority. InsyaAllah, we see what comes out of the Citizens for Nurin Alert effort ok! Take care!
Hi Moses, welcome to my blog. As you can see I am on an Amber/Nurin Alert blogging streak right now. Am honoured that you are bookmarking my blog. I have been doing quite a lot of research about this matter and thought I’d share them with readers. Let’s hope with greater awareness something positive will come out of this.
On the lead in paint issue, i wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of toys are tainted with this paint, not just the ones from China. I agree, if your child is at that age that he likes to taste everything he plays with, better buy the toys that meet the quality standards.
I remember reading an article in the Readers Digest a very long time ago about lead in ceramics. The mother had used a glazed ceramic jug for the family’s orange juice. The acid juice leached the lead from the glaze and caused lead poisoning in her youngest child. It took them a long time to realise that it was the jug because the signs of lead poisoning occurs over a long period. Her sharing the painful discovery with readers helped many of them, including me, to be wary of cheap lead tainted items that children may put into their mouths. Better to be safe than to be sorry.
Cheers Moses. Do come visit again.
Sorry, I still haven’t posted anything on the blog yet because been busy with practicals.
I was discussing the Nurin case with my flatmate who’s a Briton. He was both shocked and disgusted (especially when I described about how Nurin’s parents were to be charged for negligence – he was absolutely livid!). I asked him how sexual offenders are dealt with in UK. According to him, no matter what, no matter where in the UK, the offender will be registered, so everytime he moves into a new neighbourhood (or any), the entired neighbourhood will be alerted by his presence and they are adviced to keep a close watch on their kids. In his own words, he describes that “The media never forgets. They’ll crucify him once the person is charged guilty as a sex offender or a murderer. Especially if he’s a paedophile. When he comes out of the prison to walk free, the media will continue crucifying him. That’s how unforgiving we are.” That’s why sex offenders in the UK are doomed to be humiliated and labeled for life. Deservingly so. Because it’s for the sake of the neighbourhood kids.
We need to continue campaigning heavily for Nurin Alert, awareness programs and demand that every sex offender should be registered in Malaysia. Why should we care for their personal privacy when they can’t respect our children’s private parts?
You got me speechless with this bit of news. I agree with you wholeheartedly The media does play a big role in prevention rather then reporting after the fact. The media here? Well now that’s another can of worms.
Indeed, that is a strong approach taken by the UK but to all intents and purposes all the regulations were drawn up as a result of lessons learnt from tragedies like Sarah Payne wasn’t it? The British media decided to take a stand and went for it. I wish our media would take a stand on this Amber Alert system. Apparently the meeting on Friday says the government will pursue the matter of registering sex offenders and paedophiles. That’s good news and I do hope it will prove a deterrent!
But until now still no word about the Amber Alert. Years after so many countries are already adopting it, we are hesitating to make a stand. I don’t really know why. I am blogging to get the message out to whoever wants to read about it. Need more people to post about this in their blogs. The number is growing but need more bloggers to do it in Bahasa Malaysia so the message gets spread to even more people.
The media silence on this issue is ominous really! I wish they would report on the Amber Alert with as much eagerness as reporting on details of Nurin’s torture. Excuse me Munira, my cynicism is beginning to show.
Get your blog going girl!
Yeah. According to my friend, they do routine checks on the registered paedophile/sex offender, and spot check his home to see that he doesn’t have access to porn or any paraphernelia and that he lives within a certain distant from the playgrounds, schools and kindergartens.
Funny how our media delights in dishing out gory details about how a child/woman sexually-assaulted right down to every minute detail, shadowing their families right down to the grave, but they don’t have the gall to write up or promote the Alert campaign. Over here, the media take it up to their tasks to pressure for an action. It’s a gesture to show that they care. It’s a way to inform the mass, because people tune in to them. It’s all a wave of efforts – the ripple effect. Plus, it’s also an implementation that they have a long time ago.
When I first got here, the university distributed a booklet about safety during the Orientation Week. One of the topics included are targeted at women. They advice us what to do when someone tries to approach us in a threatening matter. They also included advice targeted to the male student body to “cross the road if you walk behind a woman as a way to let her know that you have no harmful intentions towards her”.
I’ve been a victim of molest, myself. I was 14 when I was molested somewhere in PJ. People asked me about what I was wearing that provoked the assault. The second time, I was sexually-aggravated by another student here. I instantly reported the matter to a lecturer, and the University had “a word” with the particular student, warning him that he will be expelled without warning should he repeat his behaviour. Why can’t we have the same kind of attitude in Malaysia? Instead, the victims and the victims’ families are often at the wrong end of the pointing fingers. What a sick joke.
End of my tirade. I have to scamper off for class soon. I can’t wait to graduate!
Okay girl, I know where you’re coming from. I guess most of us who are advocating measures we’ve been discussing have had a terrible encounter ourselves or are vulnerable because of having young children. The fact remains that this matter of prevention affects us all, one way or another. It makes us feel terrible when our personal space has been violated. Thank God you were able to get out of those situations safely. Albeit somewhat traumatised I’m sure. Please do take care.
In my ancient student days in the US a long, long time ago the huge problem back then was date rape. The university set up a campus transit programme for female students as a security measure. As I always had to work late in the lab, I could call the campus transit and they’d send either a car meant to send women students going home late or maybe a send a volunteer male buddy who had been throughly checked out to walk us home. I remember asking some male Malaysians to help me out a few times by walking me home but no way, not unless you are a girlfriend or a love interest. Alas, I was neither and had to put my trust on a complete stranger. Thank God they were really kind and made me feel safe. Sad but that’s the way it was back then.
You have your whole future ahead of you. Turn all you experiences into doing something positive. If we dwell too much on the negative it will rob us of the joys of life and there is a lot that we should be grateful for Munira. It’s good to let it all hangout and a tirade can be good for the soul but channel it into doing something positive okay. Like that seed blog for instance. Let it grow into one that everyone visits like my almost daily peeks at Rocky’s, Nuraina’s and Kak Teh’s blogs. Now I have even more blogs to visit. Now that is a good thing.
Cheers Munira.