THIS is like a script for a soap opera - there is a wayward daughter, a desperate mother and a conniving mamasan.
It ends with the drama-filled rescue of the daughter, 19, from a life of prostitution. Sadly, Jane's (all the names in this report have been changed) spiral into the darker, seamier side of life is not fictitious but all too real.
Tragedy struck early. Her father was murdered in 1997 when she was five.
Her mother, Jenny, was not around to give her the attention and love she needed - the pre-school teacher was working 12-hour shifts to make ends meet and attended evening classes thrice weekly in a bid to upgrade herself.
Jane also alleged that a relative was molesting her. She claimed she told her mother about it but Jenny denied any knowledge of it.
"I hated staying at home," said Jane who shares a three-room HDB flat with her mother, 20-year-old brother, grandmother, aunt and 12-year-old cousin.
Jane told her mother in March 2008 that she wanted to go to a girls' home but her mum was against it.
The Normal Technical student said: "So I threatened her, saying I'd become worse - smoke, drink and hang out with boys."
Between December 2007 and April 2008, Jane stole almost $2,000 from her grandmother's bank account.
She used the money to buy treats for her friends.
Her family found out only after Jane told a school counsellor.
In May that year, her mother filed for a Beyond Parental Control order at the Juvenile Court. After the order was approved, Jane entered a girls' home.
There, Jane met a girl who introduced her to her 31-year-old aunt. They hit it off so well that Jane called the woman her "big sister".
When she left the girls' home last June, Jane spent most of her time at the woman's flat in Ang Mo Kio, hanging out with other girls, some of whom were prostitutes who worked for the woman.
There, Jane thought she found the love and family warmth she craved, but things were about to take a darker turn.
Jenny, said she did not stop her daughter from spending time with the woman as she did not want to alienate the girl further.
Jane had told her that the woman worked as a kitchen helper.
"She seemed strict but nice. I was grateful she was looking after my daughter and the other youngsters," Jenny said.
What she did not realise was that the woman had persuaded Jane to be a prostitute to help out with her new "family" and earn some money.
On Valentine's Day this year, the woman gave Jane $20 for cab fare and sent her to a budget hotel, decked in revealing clothes and stilettoes.
In the hotel room, Jane panicked and started crying when the customer undressed. She ran out and confided in her 20-year-old boyfriend.
Upset, her boyfriend confronted the woman, who then threw the couple out of her flat.
Jane moved in with her boyfriend. But four days later, the woman called Jane.
She said: "She told me she had another customer and I better do as I was told."
Frightened, the girl gave in.
"I felt terrible after that. Every day, I wanted to get out but how could I? She was a gangster and threatened to get people to beat up my family." So Jane continued to work as a prostitute in Geylang.
By last month, her mother had trouble contacting her.
Worried, Jenny hired a private investigator (PI) to locate her daughter. After a week, the PI told her that her daughter was soliciting for customers in Geylang.
"I was so upset I couldn't work. I cried so hard," Jenny confessed.
She told Jane's secondary school counsellor and both women went to the flat where Jane was living in on March 12.
Said the counsellor : "Jane's mother and I were surrounded by at least 10 youngsters. We stood outside the rental flat, negotiating to get Jane out.
"Some of the youngsters looked dazed and kept muttering to themselves. There were eight girls squatting nearby."
They argued with the mamasan for over an hour.
"She was hurling abuse and shouting that no one tells her what to do. She said Jane was not a young child and nobody forced her to be a prostitute," the counsellor said.
"I told her I was there to take Jane away, not to create trouble, and that I wouldn't hesitate to call the police."
The woman eventually relented.
The counsellor found a temporary shelter for Jane, who moved back home last week.
Jane started attending tuition classes at a counselling centre "so that I can prepare to take my N levels" at the end of the year. She plans to get a part-time job after that.
Jenny said of her daughter: "She's bright and loves kids. Maybe she can be a pre-school teacher like me, a nurse or a flight stewardess. But first, she needs to get a proper education.
"Maybe this incident had opened her eyes a bit more and made her realise the consequences of her decisions."
But Jane may not be ready to put her troubled past behind her.
On Wednesday, her counsellor said the girl had stopped going to the centre, which she is supposed to attend from Monday to Saturday.
"I heard she's hanging out with some friends in that group again. Counsellors can't be there 24/7," she said.
"The family must also do their part to support her and bond with her ."
KEEP an open door for troubled youngsters so they know they can seek help.
That's the advice Care Corner Counselling Centre's Philip Chan gave when he heard about Jane's case.
"Her decision to enter a girls' home seemed like a desperate move. She felt she had no one to turn to in her own home, so she sought outside friends who appeared to offer the love and protection she lacked," the counsellor said.
The betrayal of trust when the woman persuaded her into prostitution - would be difficult to heal.
"Jane has lived with the idea that she is powerless since young. She has no idea what protection she can get," Mr Chan said.
Cry for help
Added Mrs Seah Kheng Yeow, a senior social worker at Promoting Alternatives to Violence:"When a child has delinquent behaviour, his or her actions are often a cry for help. That is why we tell parents they have to take their child's report of abuse seriously.
Children rarely lie about such things." A lot depends on Jane's desire to make a clean break too.
Said Mr Chan: "Her mother will probably be unable to manage her much, since she's no longer a child. The counsellor also cannot be keeping an eye on her 24/7. It's difficult to pull Jane back if she doesn't want to do so herself.
"There could be many reasons why she chose to see that group of friends again - maybe she is bored or feels there is no one she can relate to at home. The most important thing is to keep the door open when she seeks support."
http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20110411-272978/3.html
