Do the right thing and act against those responsible

THE social media is currently abuzz over the incident where primary school students had to wade through a pool of water with snakes in it during a team-building camp.

The outcry and protests from the public, especially parents, showed the anger and disdain that the video clip evoked. We then heard that the officers who conducted the camp were “suspended”. Such a light sentence for an irresponsible act!

In the speech by the Civil Defence Force deputy director-general of operations, no apology was given to the children or their parents.

The Child Protection Act has a section on child endangerment which was shown in the video. The relevant ministry should take steps to prevent such a recurrence. The psychological trauma inflicted on these girls may never be erased. The phobia evoked may result in lifelong scars. The possible physical injury from trying to climb to safety or being bitten by the snakes could never have been anticipated.

Who is to be blamed? The organisers are obviously at the centre of it all. Being a government agency makes it even worse and shows the level of maturity of officers involved. The school principal and teachers who allowed the programme in the first place should be taken to task for not checking the content.

Must we accept this as a “rite of passage” that our daughters are expected to go through? Which school of child and developmental psychology did the organisers follow to conduct this course?

All adults who advocate for children who cannot speak for themselves should take it upon themselves to protest as shown in social media.

The authorities should take cognisance of these protests and proceed with further legal, punitive and exemplary action to ensure that our children are protected. That is what they are there for, so please do the right thing for the sake of all children.