Typical of most developed economies, children in Singapore are coming under a different kind of pressure - alienation in a land of opportunities. The future is ours to make, so let us not forget our children in this land of opportunities.
Typical of most developed economies, children in Singapore are coming under a different kind of pressure - alienation in a land of opportunities.
Besides the usual educational system stress, our children are staring at a new set of societal problems - bearing the burdens of the "non-working poor". It is a known societal statistic that the bottom 10% of Singaporeans - or what TC calls "non-working poor" - are experiencing tremendous difficulties at work, at home and at school. In 2003, average of 3000 families per month were without power and lights in public housing estates.
At work, many are victims of structural unemployment. Amid the fervent drive for job re-design and skills upgrading, they have not been entitled to paying jobs. For those who have, they struggle with low wages, long hours of work and job insecurity, amid rising costs of living, not to mention high medical costs. Even the NTUC union fee is going up.
At home, these working poor often face abject living conditions due to inability to pay for utilities, conservancy and essentials. There are no lack of media reports of the needy and destitute who live threadbare on the charity of VWOs and social allowances.
There are even non-working poor who do not know how to, and cannot afford to send their children to schools even though Singapore practices compulsory education. Their children often end up as delinquents and develop social (worse still, criminal) problems to further compound the situation. More Chinese youth are getting addicted to drugs. Increasing rates of teenage pregnancies in the Malay and Indian communities are the tip of the iceberg.
All children regardless of race, religion and disabilities must be provided with the same rights to develop their potential - all children, including children born out of wedlock and children from single parent families.
All Children should have access to education which must include human rights education at all level. Much more needs to be done to remove the various discriminations and promote education on the rights of the child. The government should consider including a two-year pre-primary education as compulsory, and not just as an option.
In 2003, there were 346 suicides deaths that is about one person successfully taking their own life every day. About 4000 may have tried to kill themselves but there are no offical numbers available for attempted suicides. In 2001, there were more then 300 suicides deaths including 5 children below 15 years old and 37 young persons between the age of 15 to 25. Children have no one to talk to at home. There is a serious communication problem. When a young person faces problems with their parent, or their boyfriends or girlfriends it becomes a factors that push them over the edge.
In April 2002, the Straits Times reported, "Last year, about 14,000 children were seen by psychiatrists at the Institute of Mental Health, of which 2,233 were new cases.... these figures have stayed relatively consistent over the last five years."
Suicide is a preventable public health problem. Emotional and mental health problems must become our priority concern to improve the quality of life to reduce the number of suicides. The prevention of suicide is everybody's business, not just the responsibility of experts.
This Children's Day, TC calls on the government to:
The future is ours to make, so let us not forget our children in this land of opportunities.
TC wishes the children of Singapore a Happy Children's Day!
Sinapan Samydorai
President
Think Centre
Sources and Relevant Links:
Think Centre International Children's Day Forum 2005: Invitation
Think Centre Singapore: When children commit suicide
Think Centre Rights of the Child: Valuing Children, Respecting Children
Think Centre What is Human Rights Education?
UN Cyberschoolbus: Human Rights Education for children
Think Centre A LAND OF OPPORTUNITIES, A FAIR SINGAPORE, AN OPEN SOCIETY
Think Centre Schools punish student bloggers
