It feels like just yesterday that I wrote about the murder case of Nurin Jazlin Jazimin.
After the eight-year-old girl was reported missing on August 20, 2007, her body was found 28 days later in a sports bag in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Investigations confirmed that she had been raped and murdered.
At that time, I had only been a journalist with Sinar Harian for about four months, having just graduated from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM).
The photo of her lifeless body covered with a ‘batik’ cloth at Madrasah Assa’Adah, Section 1, Wangsa Maju, which I captured, is still with me to this day.
The brutal murder from 17 years ago still lingers in my heart, especially since the perpetrator remains unidentified.
The country was later shocked by the disappearance of Sharlinie Mohd Nashar on January 9, 2008, who was four years old at the time.
During that mysterious incident, Sharlinie and her sister, Sharliena (then seven years old), were on their way home from the playground, approximately 200 metres from their rented home in Taman Medan, Petaling Jaya.
The child has not been found to this day, but her mother, Suraya Ahmad, believed that her daughter is still alive.
It is heartbreaking to think of the woman’s longing for her child.
After that, a series of criminal incidents involving children were reported, whether they were victims of violence, sexual assault, or even murder.
Most recently, Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matiin, 6, was found dead in a stream near the Idaman Apartments in Damansara Damai on December 6, 2023.
The victim was later confirmed to have been murdered, based on the autopsy results which found injuries on his neck and body.
Many other missing children are listed on the Official Missing Children Portal at http://knk2hilang.rmp.gov.my/.
There, the public can directly provide information about these children by filling out the form available on the portal.
Children are a vulnerable group whose rights and interests need our protection.
In this digital age, they need to be safeguarded not only from dangers in the real world but also in cyberspace.
However, some parents are overly eager to create social media accounts for their children from a young age, which actually exposes the children to predators.
In response to this worrying trend, the Communications Ministry will soon launch an Online Safety Campaign for Children and Families to address safety issues for this group in cyberspace.
Minister Fahmi Fadzil said this initiative aimed to combat the crime of grooming children through social media and stop children under 13 from registering for social media use, even though the platforms do not permit it.
Fahmi said that Federal Police's Sexual, Women and Child Investigation Division (D11) also reported that the platform most misused for child grooming is the WhatsApp application.
These are among the efforts made by the government to protect this group, but the most crucial role is played by parents and family members.
"Janganlah harapkan pagar, pagar makan padi” (We trust the fence to protect the padi, but instead the fence destroyed the padi).
Cases of domestic abuse have become increasingly prevalent recently.
Children are fragile beings who should never be betrayed or mistreated by anyone.
On our part, while being vigilant and doing our best to protect our loved ones and praying to the Almighty, let us give the authorities the space to conduct investigations without sparking baseless speculations.
The stories of Nurin Jazlin, Sharlinie, and Zayn Rayyan, along with other missing victims, remain a mystery.
However, the recent developments in Zayn Rayyan’s murder case prove that the police have not been idle.
Believe that the truth will eventually be revealed, and let us never stop hoping.