PETALING JAYA: He’s not even a year old but the child has a fractured femur, suffered at the hands of his stepfather.
A primary school girl was rushed to the hospital by her grandmother who suspected that the pupil was being raped by a family member.
These are two of several abuse cases involving children that Dr Samsu Ambia Ismail has seen in his 20-odd years in the medical profession.
Dr Samsu Ambia, who is currently serving as Teluk Intan Hospital Emergency and Trauma Department head, said people were hesitant to take action and lodge police reports as these cases were often perpetrated by close family members.
They were also afraid of the implications as the perpetrator could be the family’s breadwinner, he said.
“As for the baby’s case, the mother had brought him in because she was afraid of the child dying from the injuries, which she claimed was inflicted by falling.
“However, she couldn’t keep her story straight when questioned.
“That was the telltale sign of something suspicious going on,” Dr Samsu Ambia said.
“When abuse happens at home, other family members might be reluctant to report and the children are the ones who end up as victims,” he added.
He said every doctor had a duty to report suspected child abuse and that knowing how to spot such cases could save lives.
“My appeal to all doctors whether at public or private hospitals, if you receive a suspected child abuse case, don’t let them go,” he said.
“Don’t let them go back into that environment. This might be your only chance to save them.”
“The victim might never be brought back to the hospital again,” he said when contacted yesterday.
Dr Samsu Ambia also said that more awareness and education were needed to spread information and resources on child abuse.
Victims should also be made aware that there was a place that they could go to that would protect them from further harm, ensure their injuries were treated accordingly while maintaining their confidentiality and assisting in the police investigation, he said.
“That place would be the One-Stop Crisis Centre (OSCC), which is at every government general hospital,” he said.
Voice of the Children chairperson Sharmila Sekaran said the function of a separate and dedicated line for children operated by trained staff with psycho-social qualifications was also needed.
Currently, Talian Kasih functions as a one-stop centre for all complaints and enquiries under the purview of the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry.
Talian Nur, which was a hotline dedicated to children, has since been integrated into Talian Kasih.
Sharmila added that it was important to break the cycle of abuse as the effects of untreated abuse and trauma in a child could last well into adulthood along with the likelihood of having mental health issues and relationship difficulties.
“We need to take how we treat children seriously and the ecosystem that we have in place to address issues involving children because there are serious lingering effects of childhood trauma on adults,” she said.
