Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri (centre) launching the awareness campaign on the safety of children in cars in Kuching. At second right is My Little Remindear founder Nur Farhana Resat. - ZULAZHAR SHEBLEE/The Star
KUCHING: The Sarawak Welfare Department is working with non-governmental organisation My Little Remindear on a campaign to prevent young children from being left for extended periods in cars, in incidents known as "forgotten baby syndrome".
Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said the campaign was part of ongoing initiatives to increase awareness among parents not to forget the presence of children in the car.
She said police statistics showed that 12 children had died from being left in cars from 2020 to February this year.
Three cases were recorded in 2020, two cases in 2021, five cases were seen last year, and there have been two cases so far this year.
"Awareness campaigns among parents need to be stepped up with support from everyone.
"The ministry is working with the relevant agencies and NGOs to raise awareness and prevent more deaths," Nancy said when launching the campaign at Borneo Cultures Museum here on Monday (March 18).
My Little Remindear founder Nur Farhana Resat said the campaign provided a number of tips for parents to remember that their children were in the car.
She said these included looking in the car before locking it, avoiding distractions, communicating with one's spouse, and using the child reminder features in apps such as Waze.
"We also have stickers that parents can place in the car as visual reminders of their children," she said.
Meanwhile, Nancy also handed over childcare fee subsidies to childcare centre operators at the same event.
She said the government provided a subsidy of RM180 per month per child to help ease the burden of low-income families.
"The amount of the subsidy approved for Sarawak this year is RM116,220, which will benefit 54 children in 27 registered childcare centres.
"Another RM8,640 has been approved for four children in a community childcare centre in Sarawak this year," she said. ends
