THE CHILDREN FROM SWEDEN

I am, and I believe we all are, very grateful to the Government of Malaysia which,through diplomatic channels, has managed to bring back the 4 unfortunate children who have been separated from their parents now being detained for having allegedlytransgressed the child rights law in Sweden.

Thankfully, after being forced to live with strangers (foster family) in Sweden they are back in Malaysia, surrounded by familiar faces of their close relatives, although their beloved parents are still not with them. How they yearn for the hugs and kisses of their mother and father, I cannot imagine.

Since their arrival, right from the time they stepped foot at KLIA they have beenhounded by the media. I am fully aware that this is a case of public interest and the people ought to know what has been happening to this unfortunate family. The media hype continues to this day and I suspect come Sunday when the older children start schooling there will yet be another media circus.

I sincerely hope that the media is by now satisfied that they have done what they are supposed to do and has had enough of it. Thereafter please leave them be to settle down and adjust to new environment, and hopefully they will soon be reunited with their parents.

We have always been talking about “in the best interest of the children”, but have we given thought to what they must have gone through? First, they were forcefully separated from their beloved parents and made to live with strangers in an environment alien to them. Then, upon returning to Malaysia they have endlessly been faced with strangers and exposed to the limelight. It is felt that they have been excessively and unnecessarily exposed.

Have a heart! Please observe the photographs of the children, especially the youngest one. They look bewildered and overwhelmed. Despite all the goodies they receive from well-wishers, there was no smile because what they need most right now is the presence of their parents. They are sad and living in pain.

As a social worker, I feel for the children. They need to be protected, and let us allow those who have the responsibility to look after them now to perform their respective duties quietly and without hindrance. We pray that the trauma they had gone through could be cushioned by the close relatives who, I am certain, will shower the care and attention and above all, the love upon these innocent children.

For us the caring members of society, let us now pray for the early return of the parents so that the children can have them back. Only with the return of the parents that the wounds inflicted on these children could be healed in time.

- Datuk Abdullah Malim Baginda