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I do not know what the laws are regarding this issue here is in Singapore. In Ontario, a Sri-Lankan friend of mine once got into trouble when he left his 10 year old alone at home and went out to grab something from a store. It was only for a few minutes. Here in Singapore, because of the low crime rates, low frequency of mishaps, leaving a youngster unattended is not an issue that is brought up, but people with young children should never not think about it. Kids left unattended can get into dangerous situations, and because of their youth, are unable to get out of it themselves. I often see young primary school girls (and boys) walking home by themselves after school and wonder if they need someone elder to watch out for them, but no one seems to give a thought to it. If the kid is abducted, it will be a terrible thing to happen.
Cheers!
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/home-alone-boy-too-young-1.3233124
8 years old is too young to stay home alone, B.C. Supreme Court rules
Boy's mom allowed son to stay unsupervised at home after school between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. each day
CBC News Posted: Sep 17, 2015 5:24 PM PT Last Updated: Sep 17, 2015 6:11 PM PT
How old does a child have to be to stay home alone?
The B.C. Supreme Court has been weighing in on the issue after a Terrace mother left her eight-year-old son unsupervised after school.
In a judgment released this week, the court upheld an earlier ruling, confirming that an eight-year-old is too young to leave home alone, no matter how mature his mother believes him to be.
The boy's mother allowed her son to stay unsupervised at home after school between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. each day.
A social worker and the boy's father, who is separated from the boy's mother, wanted to put a stop to it. When the mother continued, she was threatened with the removal of her child.
In court, a social worker testified children who are under 10 years of age lack the cognitive ability to stay safe from risks that could arise due to their young age, including accidental poisoning or fires.
The mother argued there was no proof her child needed protection, that children mature at different rates and there's no law stating how old kids have to be to stay on their own.
But the B.C. Supreme Court judge upheld the findings of the previous trial judge, that "children under the age of 10 could not be safely left alone, therefore establishing there were reasonable grounds to believe [the boy] required protection, and that such protection could be effected by a supervision order."
"It's a parent's right to decide"
John-Paul Boyd is the Executive Director of the Canadian Research Institute for Law and the Family. He says that while this case isn't precedent-setting, it does present a lesson to parents.
"You have to be careful about the social worker who comes to visit, because he or she has a great deal of discretion in deciding what the ministry decides to do," he said.
Boyd says the mother's defence was a good one, and he agrees that children become mature at different ages and that there's no legal definition of when a child is old enough to be left on their own.
"There are seven-year-old kids that I would trust with the keys to my house, and 17-year-old kids I would never trust with the keys to my house," Boyd said. "It's a parent's right to decide whether or not her particular child is old enough and mature enough to handle those decisions on his own."
Boyd says the laws around these issues have not changed in many years, and the only thing that might be changing are social workers' and judges' interpretations of the law.
However, he does feel that as a society, we've become more "neurotic" about keeping watch over children.
Cheers!
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/home-alone-boy-too-young-1.3233124
8 years old is too young to stay home alone, B.C. Supreme Court rules
Boy's mom allowed son to stay unsupervised at home after school between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. each day
CBC News Posted: Sep 17, 2015 5:24 PM PT Last Updated: Sep 17, 2015 6:11 PM PT
How old does a child have to be to stay home alone?
The B.C. Supreme Court has been weighing in on the issue after a Terrace mother left her eight-year-old son unsupervised after school.
In a judgment released this week, the court upheld an earlier ruling, confirming that an eight-year-old is too young to leave home alone, no matter how mature his mother believes him to be.
The boy's mother allowed her son to stay unsupervised at home after school between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. each day.
A social worker and the boy's father, who is separated from the boy's mother, wanted to put a stop to it. When the mother continued, she was threatened with the removal of her child.
In court, a social worker testified children who are under 10 years of age lack the cognitive ability to stay safe from risks that could arise due to their young age, including accidental poisoning or fires.
The mother argued there was no proof her child needed protection, that children mature at different rates and there's no law stating how old kids have to be to stay on their own.
But the B.C. Supreme Court judge upheld the findings of the previous trial judge, that "children under the age of 10 could not be safely left alone, therefore establishing there were reasonable grounds to believe [the boy] required protection, and that such protection could be effected by a supervision order."
"It's a parent's right to decide"
John-Paul Boyd is the Executive Director of the Canadian Research Institute for Law and the Family. He says that while this case isn't precedent-setting, it does present a lesson to parents.
"You have to be careful about the social worker who comes to visit, because he or she has a great deal of discretion in deciding what the ministry decides to do," he said.
Boyd says the mother's defence was a good one, and he agrees that children become mature at different ages and that there's no legal definition of when a child is old enough to be left on their own.
"There are seven-year-old kids that I would trust with the keys to my house, and 17-year-old kids I would never trust with the keys to my house," Boyd said. "It's a parent's right to decide whether or not her particular child is old enough and mature enough to handle those decisions on his own."
Boyd says the laws around these issues have not changed in many years, and the only thing that might be changing are social workers' and judges' interpretations of the law.
However, he does feel that as a society, we've become more "neurotic" about keeping watch over children.
