Why didn't anyone report it?

Fear of creating trouble for family could have stopped stallholders, say social workers

- Syarafana Shafeeq

Child neglect and other family affairs are often seen as private, and members of the public may feel they should mind their own business, said social workers.

This could be a key reason why a recent case of a teenage girl living in a wet market stall went unreported for close to a year, they said.

The 15-year-old girl, who lived in a 2m by 3m stall at Circuit Road Market and Food Centre, was referred to the Ministry of Social and Family Development's (MSF) Child Protective Service (CPS) only after officers from the National Environment Agency spotted her in April.

Asked why they did not alert the authorities, some stallholders said they did not want to create trouble and the girl's father said he did not need any help.

Ms Nawal Adam Koay, assistant director and head of reunification service at the Singapore Children's Society, told The Sunday Times it is natural to think that family affairs should be left to the family. However, it takes a village to raise a child, she added.

She said: "It is important to understand that supporting is not meddling." Mr Marcus Lim, head of family support at Touch Community Services, said: "It would have helped a lot if the neighbouring stall owners - who smelled the pee in pails, saw her pleas for food, and glimpsed her living conditions - acted upon their suspicions."

He added: "When someone's well-being and safety is compromised, and it becomes apparent to others, even if subtly so, it is well within the public's right and responsibility to step up and do something." Ms Nawal said the setting of the market stall may have also influenced people to be bystanders.

"Just like other child abuse cases, neglect is typically associated with occurrences within the home, leading bystanders to overlook signs of maltreatment in public settings."