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[TD="class: msgtxt"][h=2] Mother and Daughters Walked 24km in search of Relative [/h]
A homeless woman in dire straits walked 24km with her 2 daughters from Yishun to Chai Chee, stopping to rest at the void deck at nightfall, planning to walk another 6km to Tampines the next morning to seek help from a relative.
Tipped off by grassroot volunteers, Minister of State and Member of Parliament (MP) for Marine Parade GRC BG (NS) Tan Chuan Jin approached the family and accompanied them for a few hundred meters as he profusely advised them to accept his assistance.
BG (NS) Tan narrated this incident on his facebook with a heavy heart ( edited for clarity ).
On late Wednesday (11 Jan 2012) night, he was doing house visits at Chai Chee, and was about to call it a day when he was informed by a grassroot leader about a homeless lady who was putting up at the void deck of Block 26 with her 2 daughters. He rushed over with a few volunteers and discovered that the family was sleeping on a mat. Beside them was a load of personal items on a trolley.
He woke them up and asked if there was anything he could do to help. According to the woman, she was recently divorced and unable to go home. On that day, she had wanted to seek assistance from a relative who was residing at Tampines and planned to walk there with her 2 daughters.
Hearing this, BG (NS) Tan advised the woman to apply for assistance from the relevant agencies and also offered to arrange for transport to send them to the relative’s place but the woman rejected it. Despite repeated offers of assistance from BG (NS) Tan, the woman insisted that they were good on their own and started walking away.He woke them up and asked if there was anything he could do to help. According to the woman, she was recently divorced and unable to go home. On that day, she had wanted to seek assistance from a relative who was residing at Tampines and planned to walk there with her 2 daughters.
BG (NS) Tan subsequently called the police and followed the woman for a few hundred metres hoping to convince her to accept his assistance but again his offer was repeatedly rejected. It was only after the police arrived that the woman agreed to letting the police sent her and her daughters to the relative’s place.
According to BG (NS) Tan, the woman was 46-years-old and her 2 daughters were 16 and 14-years-old respectively. Both the daughters have stopped schooling and the 14-year-old daughter is an unwed single mother who gave birth to a child at the age of 13.
According to Google map, the distance from Yishun to Chai Chee is about 24km and from Chai Chee to Tampines is about 6km, by foot.
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Editor’s note :
1. During a Parliamentary session recently, MPs are encouraged to report person(s) needing assistance to the relevant agency, it is not known if BG (NS) Tan had done so and if any agency are following up on the matter.
2. The team at TR Emeritus (TRE) is concerned that the 2 daughters have stopped schooling at the young age of 16 and 14-years-old and would like to appeal to the relevant agency to please look into this.
3. Of another concern in this case would be the fact that the youngest 14-year-old daughter reportedly gave birth at the age of 13 which unless she is legally married, whoever got her pregnant with or without her consent would have committed an offence of Rape under section 375 of the Penal Code, that carries a maximum imprisonment term of up to 20 years, and shall also be liable to fine or to caning.
Since the police was involved in this matter indirectly (of sending them to the relative’s place), did the police smell a rat and proactively launch an investigation into an alleged offence of Rape? Rape of a minor is a very serious criminal offence and the ignorance of her mother (by not reporting or failing to report) should not be an excuse for the police to not take any action considering that it is a seizable offence, against a minor who needs to be protected at all cost.
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TRE was unable to confirm at print time if there was any subsequent follow-up by BG (NS) Tan or the relevant agencies to the woman’s plight and would like to appeal to readers with information to please update us through our online web form .
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