Always be alert of well-being of children, parents reminded
MIRI: Datuk Rosey Yunus is reminding parents to always be alert of their children’s wellbeing and to never leave them unattended in a car with the doors and windows fully shut and the engine running.
“We have heard of many cases when children have been left in cars, some of which did not end well. Cases like these should serve as a lesson to all parents,” said the Deputy Minister for Women, Childhood and Community Development Sarawak when met by reporters at a break-of-fast ceremony on Thursday.
Her remarks referred to an incident here on Thursday, involving two young boys who fell asleep in a locked car with the engine running.
Concerned passers-by who saw this tried to wake the boys up by knocking on the windows and shaking the car.
Eventually, one of them woke up and opened the door. According to a witness, the boys’ father had gone into a nearby post office and was not aware of the commotion.
The incident has since gone viral on Facebook.
“Even Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah (Minister of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Sarawak) and Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri (Federal Women, Family, and Community Development Minister) have been reminding parents to be more alert of matters involving the safety of children,” added Rosey, reiterating the importance for parents to always keep watch over their children when bringing them for outings.
“Most importantly, never leave children inside the car for too long, with the engine running.
“Even though it seems comfortable to leave our children in the car with the air-conditioning on, doing so is actually dangerous because no air is coming in or out of the environment – in other words, it’s airtight. If left for too long, this is very dangerous.
“They (parents involved in the Miri incident) were lucky that the incident did not get to the extent where their children’s health was compromised.
“However, what occurred was already dangerous, so we’re happy that things did not end badly,” she said further.
Rosey added that such situation was not only dangerous for the children, but also for adults.
“For adults, as long as they don’t fall asleep, they can still get out of the vehicle or open the windows.
“However, it could also be fatal if the adults slept for extended periods of time.
“There were cases reported before.
“Therefore, everyone should be cautious about this,” she said, hoping that the latest incident would serve as ‘a lesson and raise awareness for all’.