We started 2025 with the sad confirmation the dead body found in Banting was that of Yap Xin Yuan, the missing 15-year-old girl from Cheras who went missing after her lion dance practice. Further revelations by the media that the police had arrested her 16-year-old boyfriend, his elder brother, and his father for suspected involvement in her death and subsequent disposal of her body further dampened the new year.
As a father with young children, the death of a child is very devastating. Her parents' desperation in trying to find her after she went missing, only to find out that she was no longer alive, must be eating them. As the nation mourns with her parents, there is another aspect that we as parents need to look into.
The first thought that ran through my mind when I saw how old the deceased's boyfriend, who is now the suspect, I realised that my boys would soon be entering the age group.
I talked with my boys as soon as I reached home yesterday to remind them of the dangers out there and to remind them to be respectful of their friends, regardless if the friend is a boy or girl. I reminded them that they need to respect the boundaries in a relationship.
I could only empathise with the suspect's father who would probably never thought his children could harm others. The once-innocent child who had harmed others. While the son, the suspect is still alive, the emotional trauma and the denial would be damaging. But that's getting ahead of ourselves in our assumption of the type of crime that may have occurred.
What is important is that I'm not a good parent myself. And this tragedy is a wake-up call.
May the Yap Xin Yuan rest in peace, and her family's fight for justice fulfilled.
Danny Liew is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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