TODAY is different from the mornings when I am still up at 5.00am watching MU play. This morning I was awakened at 5.15am by the cries of a young child in our condominium. It was not a normal cry of tummy pain. It definitely wasn't. It was a child's cry that was accompanied by an adult voice. That type of cry that is prolonged and gets into your marrow. I came to the lanai to identify where the cries came from. It definitely came from the unit (4) opposite mine (1). All lights were still out in the units. I went onto the garden area to get closer to the cries but to no avail. Yes, the cries stopped around 6.30am. If the child was in pain because of illness, that child would have been sent to a clinic or hospital. If the cry went on for one hour and fifteen minutes the child was wailing from a different type of pain.....the cry that can only be emitted by inflicted pain. At 7.00am I went to the foyer hoping to catch any young one with bruises before they went to kindy or to school. No dice. What can I do but to dedicate this post to all abused children and to those who take care of abused children thruout Malsysia and the world.
SORRY MOMMY & DADDY.
I didn't mean to spill my milk at dinner last night.
SORRY MOMMY & DADDY.
I didn't mean to cry when my bath water was too hot.
SORRY MOMMY & DADDY.
I didn't mean to play with my dolls that long.
SORRY MOMMY & DADDY.
I didn't mean to be a mistake.. why can't I eat?
SORRY MOMMY & DADDY.
i didn't mean to pee in my pants yesterday.
SORRY MOMMY & DADDY.I love you! Why don't you love me back? Why is everything I do wrong?
1,504,000 CHILDREN GET ABUSED BY THEIR GUARDIANS. IT'S NOT RIGHT. THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE TO SUFFER. IF YOU THINK CHILD ABUSE IS WRONG YOU CAN MAKE A STAND BY MAKING A REPORT.
Dear Zorro,
ReplyDeleteYou should have called the police and explained your concerned. Should the child be really abused, HOPEFULLY (a big hope there) the cops could do something to prevent it.
zorro,
ReplyDeleteNow you have made me upset...very upset bro !
As soon as I read your post I grabbed the phone and called my little girl ! And man hearing her voice was the sweetest thing I heard all day long !! Yes ...and I told her how much I love her !
but now back to your post......no cheers today man...!I'm still upset !
Its difficult isn't it? What should you do? What can you do?
ReplyDeleteOnce identified, do you knock on their door and enquire after the crying child?
If so do you, can you offer to look after the child? At least until the child stops crying.
How do you approach without making it look like you are even suggesting anything?
How do you tell if in fact the child is being abused?
How will the adult in that house view your inquisitive knock on the door?
What if you know the adult? How would you approach it?
What if they were strangers. How would you approach that?
Hey Bernard, you have been a papa, and now a grandpapa as well. And you have been a teacher. Do you think we can sit to work out a protocol on this so that when we got to act as a concerned neighbour, we know that we are doing right?
I know that in New Zealand there has always been so much public discourse on these kinds of subjects and it is publicly said on the radio and on TV and the papers and the police too advice what neighbours can and should do.
And there are so many reported cases that you can be sure they come to the open because neighbours and friends bring it to the police. And they do act.
If in Malaysia we are reluctant to act on mere suspicion it is also because many a time it is settled with the police and maybe you get told by the cops to mind your own business.
All of us have recording devices. We have it in our mobile phones. Maybe at the very least we should record the cries even if we are unable to video it with our mobile phones.
whoaa..who do you think it could possibly be? cant hear a thing from my room. at 5 i was already dead asleep anyway.
ReplyDeleteeh, hold on. you sure you heard a humanly cry? hehehehe....
zorro - you tak garang lah.
ReplyDeleteAunty here will knock on the offensive unit and ask "Is there a problem? I can hear yr child is in great pain. Can I help?"
like concerned like dat mah...ok? when you do something, hopefully something else won't happen.
yes...let them say you are kaypoh but then the abuser will know people are paying attention.
the worst that can happen is they say "niamah..not yr biz" That way you would have known you had done something about it
but chill bru..you keep an eye on that unit...which I am sure you already are!
Old Fart....capital idea. I will work out something.
ReplyDeletePenny: we have six blocks here and access to other blocks are not possible until resident okays entry thru intercom. Orientation of the 6 units have made accoustic identification quite difficult. Sometimes noises two units above sounds like coming from across the opposite unit.No I have never bee afraid of being called names as long as I am convinced I am doing the right thing. In 1979, whilst still at my landed property, I have physically taken a 9 year old kid to my house and told the parents (3 houses away)they can have him back only if they learn to treat the kid like their child. I said this in front of then OCPD of PJ Tony Petrus. Tony gave them a tongue lashing before asking me to give the child back to the parents. Tim is now in uni in Melbourne and the parents are still in touch with me over occasional beers at PJ club.
yea its so weird sometime when i thought it was the kids upstairs when in fact they were already comfortably tucked in. but its tough to pinpoint if the noise comes from the opposite block as we are not quite familiar with any of the residents in block 4 (apart from the 4 boys which i doubt the shout came from their unit). will keep an eye on any of the kid who may behaving peculiarly from that block.
ReplyDeleteThis makes me so sad.
ReplyDeletewah..bernard..you are GARANG after all!!
ReplyDeletesorry but you can tell aunty here have little experience with condo living hoh? forgive me but you go on being GARANG ok?
:) next time yr tiger's on me!!!
‘Sorry mommy and daddy
ReplyDeleteForgive me aunty and uncle
I don’t mean to make your day
Hard as it is putting food on the table’
The pressure of work
The lure of easy life
Parents don’t make it
Abuse children like falling leaves
Feeling no remorse feeling a frustration
Amongst the working environment
And the people they transact in their time
Children cry
Wailing out loud neighbors hear
Trying to keep off
Let the parents discipline their children
One or two minutes maybe ok
When it goes on for hours or days
There is something wrong anyway
Concerned neighbors must right the wrong
It is just a phone call to the police station
The helpless children
Tortured and abused showing no mercy
Parents and guardians, maids and baby sitters
When in the hands of abusive people
The children have no place to hide….
When the cry hit the roof
No sane soul should pretend
Helping them is just a phone call away
Do your part; be concerned about your neighbors
In this way rights will be protected some ways
“I am sorry mommy and daddy
I don’t mean to make it hard for you
You bring us to this world
Don’t let us suffer in no uncertain terms
Love us and guide us to good deeds
Let us be happy in our childhood”
The pictures tell so many stories
It reminded me of an incident decades ago
In my village then
A father raped his daughter barely 1 year old
Mind you he was religious and pious
Every religious festival he was in the organizing committee
Until his own heinous crime on his daughter
Everybody got a shock!
So good citizens
Play a part makes this world free
Of predators in our midst
Camouflaged in human forms
Doing those nasty abusive things
Hi Uncle B,
ReplyDeleteThat was a very touching post...It is very horrifying when we realise how children get whacked up like mad for the simplest of things...I personally think the parents need serious psychological help...
Thanks for sharing...