Handcuffs of youth and children

MPs concerned about use of handcuffs, leg braces as restraints in youth homes

Members of Parliament raised their concerns about the psychological impact of using such measures on teens and questioned whether there will be procedures to prevent the abuse of power.

The above is from the Today paper. I remember writing about this, also included in my book Redbean Soup, of a child below teenage, being handcuffed in a police station and objected to such insensitive and cruel acts against children. Reading the above being raised in Parliament gives me grave concern whether such practice on little children is still in practice and found acceptable.

Youths in homes are often difficult to control and may have committed some offences. The need to put them on cuffs and leg braces may be controversial but at times may be necessary. There must be serious contemplation in making such decisions and not be permitted freely to the point of callousness, careless tidak apa attitude or abuses on the youths and definitely not on pre teens children.

For the MPs to think this is a serious concern that merited to be raised in Parliament is a good start. For this to be an issue is a sign that things are getting out of control. It could be another case of one size fits all as is often applied to rules and regulations without the need to think, for convenience. A case of suka suka just cuffed. At least I think this is something more worthy of Parliament's time than discussing about the use of plastic bags, trying to save a few pieces of plastic to save the environment. Without plastic bags, how are the people going to store their wet waste before throwing them into the rubbish chutes?

Shanmugam’s expertise would again be called upon to write up more laws to provide clarity in the application of such laws, rules etc etc. For a start, all police personnel must be told to be sensitive on little children and must not be allowed to put cuffs on little children. This is a poor reflection of a highly educated population of a first world city when a little human decency and sensitivity towards children are expected to be the norm without having to question or to have rules to implement them.

Are we still a first world city state when we are still fumbling over such basic issues of handling our children and young delinquents, after 44 years of independence? Can you imagine what it looks like for a below 10 year old child to have cuffs on when the cuffs could easily slip off? It happened then, not sure it is still happening.