Another 15.6 per cent had called to request
more information on the service.
The
figures show a whopping 1,514 contacts regarding boredom, followed by 509
contacts on loneliness, 94 contacts on fear and anxiety, and 50 contacts on
depression.
They
raise the question -- why do these children prefer talking to strangers over
the helpline, rather than their own parents or family members?
Child
experts said while the nature of the calls was cause for concern, the
consolation were that the country's first dedicated helpline for children was
an avenue for them to express their fears and seek help.
Childline
Malaysia is a project set up to establish 15999 Childline, in collaboration
with the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry, with the support of
Unicef Malaysia, Child Helpline International, Malaysian Children TV Programme
Foundation, non-governmental organisations and corporations.
"We
believe in helping a child before he or she reaches crisis point. By offering
them a friendly listening ear, we are able to support them at an earlier
stage," said Childline Malaysia Project director Michelle Wong.
Her
views were echoed by Shamsinah Che Shariff, president of the Association of
Registered Childcare Providers Malaysia.
"It
is a good thing that they have an outlet like this. Why do they prefer to talk
to a stranger? Because they want to be heard and there is no one around them
they respect or trust to advise them or who can give them suitable
answers."
Shamsinah
said the association was concerned about psycho-social abuse and children's
mental health.
This
would be an area of discussion at the 3rd National Conference on "Violence
Against Children: Spectrum of Hope 2012" on June 9 and 10. It will also
highlight the importance of the adoption of a child protection plan in
childcare centres.
Shamsinah
said more than 60 per cent of childcare centres and nurseries were overcrowded
and do not adhere to the child to minder ratio specified by the Children's Act
2001.
She stressed
that children who were well cared for would become good, responsible adults and
have a stable life, mentally and socially, while children neglected or abused
at a very young age sometimes carried scars on to adulthood.
Professor
Datuk Dr Chiam Heng Keng, Malaysian Representative, Asean Commission of Women
and Children, said subjecting children in their formative years to intentional
or unintentional violence was detrimental to their mental health.
Chiam,
who will be delivering the keynote address, said violence was defined as any
act, physical, psychological or emotional, that affected the child negatively.
"Neuroscience
studies show that in the development of the brain, any stress can result in
secretion of the stress hormone cortisol in quantities that can affect the
architecture of the brain by causing malfunctions.
"The
first three years are important years for the child's emotional development and
control. Excessive secretion of stress hormones can affect brain structure and
we can actually be nurturing emotional monsters who can kill or batter people
without batting an eyelid."
She
said a child who had negative experiences, including suffering violence and
abuse, would regard this as normal behaviour.
"Unfortunately,
we do not see the effect of stress on the individual manifesting at an early
age. It erupts only years later, especially during times of critical stress,
mostly at adolescence or adulthood. We can see it happening in cases where
children kill their parents or when a mother murders her child."
She
said in childcare centres, an infant could experience stress from being left
neglected and unattended, abused, force-fed or treated like a nuisance. They
can also suffer from depression.
"That's
why we need child minders to be properly trained and be able to interpret a
child's needs. It's not just about knowing how to feed the child."
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