A horrific child abuse case has led to outrage and questions. Two-year-old Mohamad Daniel Mohamad Nasser died after getting beaten by his mother and her boyfriend. They 
were sentenced on Tuesday (July 5).

What can be done before it is too late?

One mother intervened before her husband continued beating their daughter.

In doing so, she prevented the man from causing greater harm, or even death. She also approached the National University Hospital (NUH) to seek help for their three-year-old.

Toddler dies from abuse: Caregiver says he was terrified to see mom

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The New Paper

Jane (not her real name) explained that her husband could not tolerate the toddler’s mess and noise, and went into his “disciplinary mode” and physically punished her.

That happened a year ago, relates NUH senior medical social worker Lim Jia Yi.

She says: “The wife was worried that her husband might go overboard and inflict more harm on their daughter.

“It was a vicious circle because every time the child cried, the father would ‘discipline’ her. And when he ‘disciplined’ her, she cried.”

It went on for at least six months before Jane decided to seek help.

“After further investigation, we found that when the father was young, he was also physically punished when he misbehaved. So he thought that that was the only way to discipline a child,” Ms Lim says.

As it was deemed a moderate to high risk case, the Ministry of Social and Family Development’s (MSF) Child Protective Service (CPS) took over.

The toddler was placed in foster care after two months because her father resorted to beating her again.

Another case was reported by a doctor who found injuries on an infant that did not appear to be accidental.

Head consultant of the division of general ambulatory paediatrics and adolescent medicine at NUH, Dr Chan Poh Chong, has dealt with numerous child abuse cases over the span of 20 years.

Four years ago, he came across a couple who told him that their son was injured after falling off a bed.

But after examining the wounds and bruises on the four-month-old, he suspected they were not being truthful – the infant had multiple injuries on his arms and legs.

Dr Chan says: “The injuries were inconsistent with the parents’ story.

“The parents came to us only after the child refused to eat and started crying excessively.”

After further probing, the parents confessed they were under a lot of stress, and could have vented their anger on their youngest child, he says.

Dr Chan then alerted medical social workers. After further investigation, they referred the case to CPS.

It conducted its own investigation and subsequently placed the child in the care of other family members.

Says Dr Chan: “Once we notice that the injury is not accidental, we will inform the medical social workers immediately, and they will take over from there.”

It is the standard procedure for all hospitals, he adds.

When a doctor alerts medical social workers, they will investigate further and decide what to do next.

Ms Lim says further assessments of the family usually reveal the struggles the parents face managing the child.

She says medical social workers will conduct social risk assessments and make home visits to determine whether it is safe for the child to return home.

Ms Lim says: “We’ll have to establish a risk within a day and put in place a protective mechanism as soon as possible, especially for patients who are not admitted.”

There are three categories for cases: Low, moderate and high risk.

Low risk cases usually involve the parents going through transition stress that might stem from job changes or financial problems.

Moderate risk cases usually involve a one-time or rare abuse that lead to serious injuries such as bleeding from the head or fractures.

High risk cases involve abuse that has been going on for a while, or where parents do not feel remorseful after punishing the child.

SOCIAL STRESSES

“We look at three things: the child’s needs, as well as the parents’ characteristics and social stresses such as marital conflict or financial hardship,” says Ms Lim.

“Usually, for moderate to high risk cases where we feel that the abuse might happen again, we will have to alert CPS.”

Once alerted, CPS will acknowledge the case within a working day and conduct another round of assessment to determine what kind of help the family needs, she says.

But not every child has to go through such a procedure to get help.

Child protection specialist centre Heart@Feiyue has had its hotline open to the public since April.

It previously took on only abuse cases referred by MSF.

Heart@Feiyue agency head Ng Kwai Sim says it receives on average of 25 calls a month.

She says: “There is no such thing as a false alarm. Every call is important.

“Even if you are not too sure, just call and consult us so that we can assess the case.”

Ms Ng encourages neighbours and relatives to call their hotline without fear of being labelled a “busybody” as the caller’s identity remains anonymous.

She says: “Every one plays a role. You can be a part of the community by calling us if you notice signs of child abuse.

“It takes the whole community to look out for the children in need.”

MINISTER: REPORT ABUSE IMMEDIATELY

Minister for Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam reacted on Facebook to the case of two-year-old Mohamad Daniel Mohamad Nasser (above), who died after being abused by his mother Zaidah, 41, and her boyfriend Zaini Jamari, 46, for 25 days over a 35 day-period last year.

On Tuesday (July 5), Zaidah was sentenced to 11 years’ jail, and Zaini to 10 years’ jail and 12 strokes of the cane.

In a Facebook post on Thursday, Mr Shanmugam wrote: “Poor defenceless child. How can any human being do this to a two-year-old? Let alone a mother to her own child?”

He said “we need to see whether the current legal framework is adequate” for such cases.

He added: “They ruthlessly tortured the child for more than a month, and effectively killed him.

“We have to also encourage people to report when they see abuse immediately.

“Here, two housemates of the mother and her boyfriend called the ambulance and the agencies came to know as a result.”

HELPLINES

Heart@Fei Yue

Tel: 6819-9170

Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 5.30pm

Email: heartadmin@fycs.org

Big Love Child Protection Specialist Centre

Tel: 6445-0400

Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm

Email: contact@biglove.org.sg

Child Protective Service Helpline (MSF)

Tel: 1800-777-0000

Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5.30pm

Saturday, 8.30am to 1pm

Email: MSF_cpsintake@msf.gov.sg

Tinkle Friend

Tel: 1800-274-4788

Monday to Friday, 2.30pm to 5pm

Online chat operating hours: 
Monday to Friday, 2.30pm to 5.30pm 
and Wednesday, 6.30pm to 8.30pm

See also:

Little Daniel’s caregiver says: If she didn’t want him, she could have returned him to me

Boy, 2, dies after daily abuse by mum and her boyfriend

Father of abused toddler: I could not be the father he needed

Hospitals have never been her favourite place.

Particularly since she has been in and out of them since she was born, bravely enduring the many operations and tubes just to survive.

But last week, Pei Shan kept urging her parents to take her to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

She has been feeling breathless and unwell recently.

See also: Teen with rare disease realises dream to play piano in front of 500 people

Her parents, first puzzled by her request, were heartbroken when they heard her reason.

Pei Shan is hoping to recover before her 18th birthday on Aug 5.

She is planning to celebrate by checking into a hotel with her family and friends.

On July 4, Pei Shan was admitted to hospital, but her condition had worsened by Friday night. She is now in the intensive care unit.

Last night, her mother Chew Siew Cheng, 47, told The New Paper on Sunday that this hospitalisation feels different from the previous years’.

Said the housewife: “Pei Shan is usually so bubbly. She enjoys eating, but she has been lethargic and eating very little lately.”

Pei Shan’s health, Madam Chew revealed, also seemed to have weakened since early this year.

In 2013, TNPS reported on the resilient girl and her dedicated parents.

Many readers poured their support and get-well wishes to the family.

Doctors have been baffled by her condition, and her medical record reads “Mucopolysaccharidosis Type III (MPS III)”.

MPS III is a progressive disorder that mainly affects the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system).

SYMPTOMS

Sufferers generally do not display any signs of the condition at birth, but symptoms begin to appear during early childhood.

Madam Chew said: “A few years ago, doctors broached the topic of Pei Shan’s lifespan and told us she would not live past her teens.

“We sense that she is growing weaker, and it might be time for her to go soon.”

Madam Chew and her husband are grateful that Pei Shan is different from other sufferers.

The home-schooled girl is chatty, and she enjoys painting and playing the piano.

In fact, she was determined to practise for her piano recital in April despite constantly feeling out of breath.

With a smile, Madam Chew recounted: “She didn’t get much practice in the end, but she was so confident. Pei Shan is always so positive.”

And the brave girl has been upbeat despite her recent health condition.

The family decided to forgo an operation in May to reduce the pressure in her eyes because of the many possible complications – but that meant she will eventually go blind.

Her doting dad, taxi driver Teo Qi Kuang, 57, said: “I told her that I will be her eyes instead.”

Madam Chew said jokingly: “She wants only her dad to be her eyes. I offered too, but she said her dad’s are enough.”

Mr Teo, who works long hours, plans to stop working temporarily to spend quality time with his daughter.

The London cab driver recently sprained his ankle and has been on sick leave.

He said: “I have to hold her hand every time she takes new medicine, or has to go for a blood test.

“She is always telling me to stop working so that we can spend time together but we can’t because of our finances.”

The couple have been mentally preparing for the inevitable, but Mr Teo admitted that it scares them.

He said: “I hear her voice the moment I reach home, telling me to switch on the air-conditioner. I can’t imagine going out without taking her pram along.

“Life without her will be very painful for the both of us.”

This article was first published on July 10, 2016.
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A pre-school teacher at Zoo-phonics School’s Serangoon Central branch has been suspended after she was accused of punishing one of her students and supposedly humiliating him in front of his class.

According to the boy’s father, Mr Eric Cheong, the teacher had singled his son out for having long hair.

Mr Cheong took to Facebook on Saturday (July 9) to lodge a public complaint about the incident which reportedly happened on Tuesday (July 5).

The teacher, who Mr Cheong identified as Ms Theresa, subsequently used a hair clip to clip his son’s hair up “as if he is a girl, much to the amusement of all the other kids”.

Ms Theresa had also allegedly threatened to repeat the action on the boy if he did not cut his hair by the next day.

Mr Cheong added in his post, which has been shared over 1,500 times, that his son was too traumatised to react and only started to cry after Ms Theresa left the class.

According to The Straits Times, Zoo-phonics director Vincent Teoh said the teacher has been “temporarily suspended” pending an investigation.

The school is also gathering feedback from other parents following Mr Cheong’s claim that other parents have complained of previous incidents of inappropriate punishments by Ms Theresa.

In Mr Cheong’s post, he said: “We have since emailed the school in regards to the matter and arranged a meet-up with the directors and principal of the school. Upon the meeting we were interviewed and statements were taken for investigation.”

Mr Teoh told The Straits Times that the school “does not condone any form of ridiculing a child in front of the class as a form of punishment”, and that teachers who are found responsible will be counselled and reprimanded.

stephluo@sph.com.sg