Time to educate children on safety in shopping malls

A visit to the shopping malls may be a routine for families over the weekend, especially during the school holidays period. However, with news of the two tragedies involving children in malls recently, parents and shopping malls should play an active role in educating children on shopping mall safety like riding on escalators and what to do when children lose sight of their parents.

Sunway Pyramid organised the Child Safe Shopping Workshop aimed to raise awareness for both parents and children on how to shop safely.

The syllabus in the workshop includes essential safety tips when riding on escalators and lifts, staying safe when walking in the car park with their parents or guardians and what to do when children lose sight of their parents in a shopping mall.

A housewife and entrepreneur, Nurika Abdullah, 41, applauded the initiative since she said parents may have overlooked some of this matter.

“The workshop is a good way to educate the children in a fun yet informative way. Children should be taught about safety in the shopping malls even though some parents may overlook such matter,” she said.

As a concerned parent, she advised her three children aged between 6 and 10 on several rules.

“I always tell them to stay close to be and to be where I can see them. If they are behind me, I tell them that should be walking in front of me. I would also hold their hands but in the case that I am not able to hold them than I would ask them to hold on to my shirt or pants,” she added.

However, such rules may be good but it is no guarantee that any mishaps won’t happen. She recalled an incident which happened when she lost her daughter for a short while in a shopping centre in Subang Jaya a few years back.

“It was a scary experience. I felt like a terrible mother,” she admitted.

Her daughter, Karissa Mohaned Hazli, 10, who was next to her immediately wanted to share the story.

“I was around four and a half years old. I was looking at some ice-cream but when I turned back, none of my family members were around. I just cried. A woman stranger talked to me, took me to the guard who then took me to the information counter,” she said.

Despite this incident, Nurika said she still tried to be positive.

“Whenever I try to teach my children about safety and security, I tell them to trust the people with uniform or badge. I try to keep it positive.

“I do not want to scare them otherwise they will grow up feeling scared. I try my best to keep a positive tone,” she added.

Meanwhile, Abbie Elyas, 31, also welcomed the workshop and said other shopping malls should do the same.

“Even though this workshop is for kids, but I also learned a thing or two. For example, I learned that strollers are not allowed to be on escalators.

“Sometimes we assume that we do not need to hold their hands when riding on the escalators because they are already big. But we need to for their safety,” she added.

Abbie also said shopping malls should tighten their security to ensure a safe shopping experience.

“Sometimes parents get excited when they see an item in a shop and for the split second, they may neglect their children. That’s normal. After all, we go to the shopping malls to look at things right? But at the same time, shopping malls should also improve its security just in case anything happens.

“Sunway Pyramid is really good because they have auxiliary police and you can really seem them around the mall. From the car park to the shopping itself, I do feel safe to bring my two children along. However, not all shopping malls in the Klang Valley are like this. Some are very dodgy. I try to avoid such area but if I have to go then I would hold my children’s hands really tight,” she said.

Meanwhile, her daugher, Alya Qurratuaian, 5, was shy to speak to Astro AWANI but briefly said, "It [the workshop] was fun. I learned a lot."

Another parent who just wants to be known as Lim, 42, said the workshop was fun and helpful for his children aged 6, 10 and 12.

His advice is for parents to be mindful of their children’s activity.

“I am very careful with my children so they are always near me. Thankfully no unwanted incident has ever happened,” he said when met after the workshop.

His daughter, Michelle Lim, 12, was also happy with the workshop.

“It was fun. I learned about safety like we have to hold the handrail when riding the escalator,” she said.

The workshop was conceptualised in 2012 but it was more meaningful this year due to the news of two tragedies involving children in malls.

“Accidents can happen anywhere, whether at home and especially in a public environment where there are many people confined in a distracted environments.

“While shopping malls are one of the safest places to be, safety goes two ways. Parents and guardians must also be vigilant at all times especially when it comes to the safety of their children,” said Kevin Tan, Chief Operating Officer of Sunway Shopping Malls.

On May 29, Siti Soffea Emelda Abdullah was found beheaded at the edge of the Klang River near the Kuala Lumpur commuter station at Jalan Hishamuddin.

Before the incident, the toddler’s mother Siti Salmy Suib had gone to the Kota Raya shopping mall with her daughter to hang out with her friends.

Sometime during the outing, Siti Salmy had to use the toilet and left Siti Soffea in the care of her friends.

They were on the fourth floor. When she came out five minutes later, her daughter was missing.

Siti Salmy and her friends tried to look for the toddler inside the mall but she was nowhere to be found.

On May 31, seven-year old Nurul Emielda Nadia Sallehuddin died after she fell from the third floor of a shopping mall in the city.

In confirming the matter, Brickfields police chief ACP Muhammad Azlee Abdullah said the child, was out shopping with her family at The Gardens Mall in Mid Valley City when the incident happened.

It was believed that the child had climbed over an escalator before falling to her death.

Police, upon interviewing the child's father, said he overlooked her whereabouts before he noticed her lying on the ground floor.