Ex-President Halimah asks hard question about predators working with children in Singapore

SINGAPORE: In a recent social media post, former President Halimah Yacob commented on a recent story of a man who was discovered to have sexually abused 11 children over three decades.

On Sep 17, this man, now 71 years old, was sentenced to 21 years in jail. Because he is over the age of 50, he can no longer be caned.

Mdm Halimah noted that the man’s victims included members of his family, specifically his own daughter, two of his granddaughters, and four of his nieces. She added that the four other victims had been children who were going to the enrichment centre that the man’s family had run.

She underlined, however, that the perpetrator had already been convicted in 1990 and 2020 for similar offences. According to reporting from The Straits Times, he went to jail in August 1999 and March 2020 after he was found guilty of molestation and sexual exploitation offences against other victims.

“The question is how could such a serial sexual predator with an established history of sexual offences be allowed to work with vulnerable children,” wrote the former President, adding “We need laws to stop this from happening as paedophiles like to be in places where they can access young children.”

Mdm Halimah also raised the possibility of Singapore having a sex offender registry similar to what other countries have, as this would be helpful when parents proactively check the people who are in charge of the programmes where they enrol their children, which would ensure their safety.

In her post, she also mentioned that this is not the first time this has occurred, as Mdm Halimah posted a screenshot from a 2020 report from CNA about a man who was convicted of sexually abusing three children who had attended the play school he and his wife managed.

“We must stop a repeat of such horrendous sexual abuses of vulnerable children, especially in places that are supposed to be safe,” she wrote.

Earlier this month, several Workers’ Party Members of Parliament filed questions in relation to better protection from sexual predators for minors in Singapore, especially after the horrific report of two young brothers who were sexually abused by a man who called himself a religious mentor. He had taken the boys under his wing and acted as a father figure to them.

Gerald Giam (Aljunied ) had specifically asked whether statutory penalties for major sexual offences against minors would be reviewed in light of recent increases in reported cases, as well as whether chemical castration and a sex offender registry would be considered as additional deterrence measures.

Home Affairs Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security K Shanmugam said that the government is open to considering chemical castration but added that evidence of its effectiveness in bringing down crime rates is not conclusive.

As for a sex offender registry, Mr Shanmugam said that the Police have a non-public record of persons convicted of serious offences, including sexual offences, which is shared with various agencies, including ministries of Social and Family Development and Education, when screening people who have applied for roles involving children and young persons.

“This approach balances the need to safeguard our children and the rehabilitation and reintegration efforts of ex-offenders,” he added. /TISG

Read also: Ex-PAP MP Amrin Amin: Abuse of 2 brothers by religious influencer is ‘horrifying’