Kanak-Kanak Di Dera, Di Cabul Bakal Menjadi Dewasa Terencat, Miskin Dan Bermasalah.

The following is a long press release from three medical associations, mainly Malay Muslim doctors. This has been shortened. May I suggest that they also issue a copy in Malay.

September 14, 2024
For immediate release

The Islamic Medical Association of Malaysia (IMAM), the Malaysian Paediatric Association (MPA) and the Asia Pacific Pediatric Association (APPA) are deeply concerned and shocked by the recent media reports of alarming cases of child abuse and exploitation across the country.

The inaction of government ministries and agencies charged with the universal protection and care of our children is downright disheartening and disappointing.

As advocates for the rights, welfare and well-being of children, we unequivocally condemn all forms of physical, sexual and mental abuse and exploitation of children. which has been conclusively shown to have devastating long-term psychological effects on children and in many cases is permanent and irreversible.

Much research has been done on the long-term effects of child abuse and neglect on the social, behavioral, and mental health problems of young adults.

Less research has been done on these children who have a history of child abuse and neglect, and who also suffer the long-term consequences of economic hardship. As adults, they are disadvantaged in terms of their education, employment, occupation, income and assets.

Like the 21.2% of our children who are nutritionally disadvantaged, these historically abused children represent a significant cost to the future economic productivity of the workforce, with a knock-on effect on the country’s GDP.

The moral test of a government is how that government treats those who are just alive, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped.

Honestly,

Dr. Musa Mohd Nordin
Former Chairman, Islamic Medical Association of Malaysia (IMAM)

Dr. Mohamad Ikram Ilias
President, Malaysian Paediatric Association (MPA)

Dr. Zulkifli Ismail
Secretary General, Asia Pacific Pediatric Associations (APPA)

My comments: Morality is not a commodity that can be found in any quantity in this country. Our country is not a moral country. If this society had strong moral values ​​or moral values, we would not be facing so many problems.

Unfortunately, morals are not the same for the different groups that we have in this country. There have been changes in the moral balance in our society over the last 50 years or so.

Some communities have changed and become “better”. Perhaps with better education and better economic status. As the late Nelson Mandela said, the worst oppression and cruelty inflicted on humanity is the slavery of poverty. Poverty brings out the worst in people. Remove poverty and you build a better society.

Then there are communities that used to do just fine. They used to seem to have better moral and social values. But over the years they have become more immoral and almost completely lacking in empathy. Lack of empathy means that they the ability to understand and share the feelings of other people around them.

They can develop almost inhuman hatred towards their own people, even their own families. Imagine their hatred towards people of other races, languages ​​and religions.

This condition has worsened over the years. It is more likely that the advent of other, more recent influences has made it worse. More recent influences such as overzealous religion have caused people to lose their morality.

• The moral values ​​of all religions are highly debatable, especially among other religions.
• What is considered “good” by one religion may be downright evil and satanic by another religion.
• It is very questionable whether religion has any good moral values ​​at all.
• Moreover, it is an absolute, certain, fully established fact that so-called “religious societies” have no better morals than the next society of another religion or no religion. Too often the religious societies are far more immoral than societies that have less or no religion.
  

My personal opinion: What religion considers ‘good’ is too often downright evil and satanic.

• At the top of the list is “faith without proof.”
• No. 2 is actually more satanic ‘you have to believe what i believe‘.

What we need is science based values. As the Muslim doctors above said: physical, sexual and mental abuse and exploitation of children, which has been unequivocally shown to have devastating long-term psychological effects on children and in many cases is permanent and irreversible

“what has been unequivocally demonstrated” implying that there is empirical data. They have the facts, figures and case numbers to prove this to be true.

This can be scientifically proven. Therefore, we need to teach society that any form of child abuse – physical, sexual, psychological abuse – will have long-lasting and permanent consequences.

Abused children are likely to grow up to be adults without empathy for people. Because they themselves have been abused, they will not hesitate to pass the abuse on to others. It is a vicious circle.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.