Cute looking kids being exploited.
Doesn't it just break your heart to read these kind of news? How I wish I have the ability to help them. Cute looking kids being exploited. :(
Kids forced into gum-selling business
MOHD YAAKOB YUSOF
KUALA LUMPUR, June 27
When she should be in bed, 10-year-old Lya must wander the streets till the early hours, selling chewing gum to nightspot patrons.
Together with several other kids aged five to 12, each of them carrying a plastic basket of about 40 packets of chewing gum, Lya would approach disco patrons every night from as early as 8.
Sometimes, the adults will chase her away. But often she will have finished selling her stuff before the end of her “shift” at 4am.
Lya is part of a group of children from Thailand believed to have been forced into this gum-selling business that operates near established nightspots, particularly along Jalan P. Ramlee.
The Malay Mail observed this operation the other night and spotted at least 10 children as young as five years old carrying the plastic baskets containing the gums.
Our reporter saw five boys and five girls — all well-dressed — boldly approaching disco patrons. Some of them were very persistent, shoving the baskets until someone bought some or literally chased them away.
Watching closely were three middle-aged local women, following them everywhere they went as they rapidly sold the chewing gum at RM2 each.
When approached, Lya said she was brought in along with other children from Thailand sometime ago by someone she called Mummy.
She said they do not attend school and would stay at home during the day. They would go out with stacks of chewing gum from 8pm onwards targetting the nightspot patrons in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.
In a smattering of English, the girl said her younger sister was also in the “gang”.
Our reporter wanted to talk to her further but the little girl suddenly appeared uneasy. This reporter also realised that one of the boys was talking into a cell phone.
Soon after, a burly man confronted our photographer and demanded to know why he was taking pictures.
During the stake-out, we also saw a man from one of the nightspots disappearing into an alley with one of the younger boys.
The boy re-emerged about 30 minutes later.
The blurry-eyed children only left the spot around 4am — in one car.
A remisier, Bhajan Singh, who has an office in the area, had tipped off The Malay Mail about the children.
“They should be with their families and not on the streets,” Bhajan told us.
He said someone was clearly using the children to make money.
“Assuming that one out of 10 children is able to clear his basket every night, that would mean a collection of RM800.”
He wanted the authorities to act fast as the sight of the children selling gum in the area at such time would bring about a negative perception as the place is well patronised by tourists.
A nightspot worker said the children have been seen in the area for some time.
“They have been picked up by City Hall enforcement officers before but they were back on the streets soon after that,” he said.
Kids forced into gum-selling business
MOHD YAAKOB YUSOF
KUALA LUMPUR, June 27
When she should be in bed, 10-year-old Lya must wander the streets till the early hours, selling chewing gum to nightspot patrons.
Together with several other kids aged five to 12, each of them carrying a plastic basket of about 40 packets of chewing gum, Lya would approach disco patrons every night from as early as 8.
Sometimes, the adults will chase her away. But often she will have finished selling her stuff before the end of her “shift” at 4am.
Lya is part of a group of children from Thailand believed to have been forced into this gum-selling business that operates near established nightspots, particularly along Jalan P. Ramlee.
The Malay Mail observed this operation the other night and spotted at least 10 children as young as five years old carrying the plastic baskets containing the gums.
Our reporter saw five boys and five girls — all well-dressed — boldly approaching disco patrons. Some of them were very persistent, shoving the baskets until someone bought some or literally chased them away.
Watching closely were three middle-aged local women, following them everywhere they went as they rapidly sold the chewing gum at RM2 each.
When approached, Lya said she was brought in along with other children from Thailand sometime ago by someone she called Mummy.
She said they do not attend school and would stay at home during the day. They would go out with stacks of chewing gum from 8pm onwards targetting the nightspot patrons in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.
In a smattering of English, the girl said her younger sister was also in the “gang”.
Our reporter wanted to talk to her further but the little girl suddenly appeared uneasy. This reporter also realised that one of the boys was talking into a cell phone.
Soon after, a burly man confronted our photographer and demanded to know why he was taking pictures.
During the stake-out, we also saw a man from one of the nightspots disappearing into an alley with one of the younger boys.
The boy re-emerged about 30 minutes later.
The blurry-eyed children only left the spot around 4am — in one car.
A remisier, Bhajan Singh, who has an office in the area, had tipped off The Malay Mail about the children.
“They should be with their families and not on the streets,” Bhajan told us.
He said someone was clearly using the children to make money.
“Assuming that one out of 10 children is able to clear his basket every night, that would mean a collection of RM800.”
He wanted the authorities to act fast as the sight of the children selling gum in the area at such time would bring about a negative perception as the place is well patronised by tourists.
A nightspot worker said the children have been seen in the area for some time.
“They have been picked up by City Hall enforcement officers before but they were back on the streets soon after that,” he said.
posted by Aaron Tan at
12:35 PM
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