MANY of us who work with children with disabilities, are care partners, or are persons with disabilities, were heartbroken this week when we heard about the terrible and inhumane abuse and killing of a six-year-old disabled girl in Sarawak on Jan 6. This poor girl was abused, murdered and then stuffed into a sack before being dumped in the bushes.
We are not new to hearing about abuse or murder of children with disabilities. International data suggests abuse in children with disabilities is three to five times higher than in non-disabled children, and Malaysia is no different. Although we lack local community studies, it is estimated that 50% of all children with disabilities experience some form of abuse.
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which Malaysia ratified on July 19, 2010, explicitly includes articles on prevention of abuse and violence. Article 16 reads: “States parties shall take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social, educational and other measures to protect persons with disabilities, both within and outside the home, from all forms of exploitation, violence and abuse...”. Article 10 reads: “States parties reaffirm that every human being has the inherent right to life and shall take all necessary measures to ensure its effective enjoyment by persons with disabilities on an equal basis with others.”
The Malaysian government has ratified the CRPD, which means it has an obligation to protect children with disabilities from abuse and violence, and uphold their right to life. Some people might think a disabled child’s life is worth less than the life of non-disabled child – they might even consider children with disabilities “less human” than those without disabilities. Others might think that it is “understandable” why this murder happened, how “caring for a person with a disability is challenging”, “they were probably under too much stress”, etc. And so people might not get as “angry” over news of the abuse or murder of persons with disabilities.
Such an outlook is abhorrent and demeaning of all of humanity. Abusing and/or murdering a child with a disability is never justified.
It is important to reflect how we as a society and government agencies have failed children with disabilities. It is not just about how we have often failed to protect them from harm, violence, abuse and murder. It is more about how we have continuously and systematically underfunded social supports that are essential to children with disabilities living safely and thriving in their community.
We should reflect on the failure of our society to provide families and caregivers of children with disabilities with the social support they need, including respite care, inclusive and affordable childcare, affordable and accessible therapy services in their local community, inclusive education, funding for parents/caregivers, appropriate parent education, etc. All parents need society to invest in such services and support, even more so those that care for children with disabilities.
We ask that the public respond to this news of the murder of a young child with disabilities with strong emotion, and harness that passion to demand an improvement in our services for all children with disabilities.
One child with disability murdered, is one child too many.
NG LAI THIN
Project officer
DATUK DR AMAR-SINGH HSS
Advisor
WONG HUI MIN
President
National Early Childhood Intervention Council
