KOTA KINABALU: The issue of family neglect can be prevented if all parties take action every day to protect those who need protection such as children and the elderly.
Community Development and People’s WelL-being Minister, Datuk James Ratib said that parents and guardians who receive support, whether from family, friends, neighbors, and the community, are more likely to provide a safe and healthy place for this group.
“Conversely if parents lack support or feel isolated, they may be more likely to make decisions that can lead to neglect or abuse.
“More and more concerned parties are now realizing that the best way to prevent child maltreatment is to help parents develop the skills and identify the resources needed to understand and meet their emotional, physical and developmental needs, as well as protect their children from harm, ” he said.
As such, he emphasized that the real prevention of child neglect and abuse requires a full-scale and comprehensive commitment from every aspect of society.
“Everybody has a role to play, and every role is very important. Therefore, communities, organizations, and private citizens take action every day to protect children.
“The development of human capital among children is very important because this will ensure that the country’s future direction will be on the track we want,” he said.
In the meantime, James added that in addition to the neglect and abuse of children, the neglect of parents is also becoming more common and worrying.
He said, in living the ripe old age, the elderly should be able to rely on their children where the relationship that has been established for so long should have a link until the end of time.
This effort, he said, is to prevent the elderly from feeling inferior, left out and living in suffering and sadness.
“We often hear cases of children neglecting their parents and running away from their responsibilities, and even sadder, children leave their elderly parents in a welfare home,” he said.
Therefore, he emphasized, the steps to overcome this problem is that people’s attitude should be good by erasing the attitude of looking down on the less fortunate parents.
“Apart from that, we need to remove the attitude of looking down on parents who are considered to be more and more useless as they get older, therefore no longer needed,” he said.
James who is also the Sugut Assemblyman said this while officiating the Closing Ceremony of the Sabah State Level Family Skills Empowerment Seminar 2023 which was held at the Raia Hotel, Tabung Haji, Kota Kinabalu on Saturday.
He called for the community to foster a sense of responsibility, love, support and strong family ties by family members towards the elderly, especially their own parents.
“Therefore, I hope that all the seminar participants who are involved can optimize their understanding of the content of the topics that have been given by the great speakers.
“Hopefully this seminar will improve the family skills of the participants. The most important thing is to be able to practice what has been learned through this seminar program and apply it in everyday life,” he said.
He congratulated the Sabah Family Abandonment Prevention Organization (CEGAH) as the organizer of the seminar, the Sabah General Welfare Services Department (JPKAS) and the Sabah Community Services Council (MPMS) as co-organizers of the seminar.
As an appreciation for the commitment and earnestness of the CEGAH organization in its service to the community for the welfare of the people, James as MPMS President, accepted CEGAH’s application to become a member under MPMS.
“In line with the theme ‘Children are the future of the country, I appreciate the role of CEGAH which, since its inception, emphasizes the sustainability of family institutions among the entire community.
“It is hoped that this seminar can have a profound impact on the participants present, at the same time making them pioneers of sustainable families that will change the prospects of societal values in this state to a more pure level,” he explained.
