Monster Merchants of Infant Death

Posted by AsiaViews | Dec 18, 2017 | 0 |

The New Straits Times

13 Dec 2017
Human greed seems to have no bounds. Monster manufacturers have now moved from counterfeit cigarettes to fake infant formula. Because, there is big money in it. To be exact, RM200 a packet. Deaths of infants do not seem to concern these merchants of death. The nightmare began when parents complained of their baby’s violent vomiting after consuming the fake infant formula to the Johor director of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry. The officers seized 210 boxes of suspected fake baby milk powder from five locations across the state. That is not the end of the story. The invoices from the supplier were fake, too. Now the hunt is on for other merchants and the manufacturer of the fake milk.

Mead Johnson, whose product has been affected by the fake trade, has come forward with helpful tips for parents to tell the real from the fake. We live in terrible times, with monsters of all manner and shape prowling among us. Greedy criminals want our money at all costs. They do not care if their actions cause injuries or death. Even infant deaths are no bar. According to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development figures last year, global trade in fake goods was worth nearly half a trillion US dollars (RM2 trillion) a year. It appears that baby milk producers have been complaining about the fake formulas since August. And, if this is true, it is a very long four months given that the lives of infants are at stake. It is also not unreasonable for parents to ask why the milk producers did not alert them earlier to help identify the real from the fake. It is not unreasonable, too, for parents to ask why the ministry took so long to seize the goods. Many parents have taken to social media to vent their anger and frustration. It is only understandable because this is a case of alarming seriousness. Even if deaths do not result by consuming the fake infant formula, serious damage to the health of babies can occur. While there is not much information on the kind of chemicals the fake infant formula contains, many will remember with dread the July 2008 milk scandal in China. The Chinese milk scandal involved the adulteration of infant formula with melamine and other chemicals. One report stated that 300,000 infants fell victim to the adulteration, with six dying from kidney damage. An estimated 54,000 babies were hospitalized.

In this age of monsters, we need to pay great attention to all aspects of food safety. We cannot, of course, leave this process to the manufacturers alone because, as is proven in this case, the process chain can be interfered with. Government agencies, such as the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry, must maintain their vigilance through enforcement and other means of governance. Lives are too precious to be left to last-minute protective actions. The law, too, must come down hard on counterfeit criminals. It must drive home the point that crime does not pay, and infant crime never pays.

(https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/leaders/2017/12/313808/monster-merchants-infant-death)

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EXTRICATING NDONESIAN CHILDREN FROM ISIS INFLUENCE ABROAD

Indonesia urgently needs to revisit the possibility of repatriating the neediest of its young citizens stranded abroad, whose families had earlier joined ISIS. Most of these children are in camps in northern Syria but there are also small numbers in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Iraq. “Extricating Indonesian Children from ISIS Influence Abroad”, the latest report from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) argues that the government could begin by bringing back small groups of unaccompanied children under ten years of age, who pose minimal security risk and are most vulnerable to deteriorating conditions in the camps.“The problem is that health and security conditions are worsening by the day in the Syrian camps, and the children are growing older,” says Dyah Kartika, IPAC analyst. “They need access to schools, a nurturing environment, and medical attention. If the government waits too long, the children will be further exposed to ISIS ideology.” The new report examines a 2019 list of Indonesians in camps and prisons run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Indonesian government has been trying to verify their citizenship, but with pseudonyms, misspellings and bad transliterations, it is a daunting task. At the time the data was collected, between March and June 2019, there were 555 Indonesians in SDF camps and prisons, including 367 children. Among the children, approximately 277 were under the age of ten and 34 were unaccompanied. In June 2021, there are fewer than ten children who are both unaccompanied and under the age of ten that could be prioritized for return. Bringing back children of ISIS families is no easy task. The report analyses the main challenges faced by the Indonesian government. These include definitional issues, bureaucratic competition, the difficulty of verifying nationality, evaluating the toll of exposure to conflict, assessing security risk, and finding relatives or others willing to provide care once the children are returned. In addition, COVID has meant stringent restrictions on travel, placing further obstacles in the way of repatriation. There are several models for rehabilitation of children exposed to violent extremism in Indonesia that could be modified to accommodate the needs of children repatriated from abroad. The report examines these models and argues that the government does not need to have every detail of rehabilitation programs in place before it starts extricating children from ISIS influence. It can start by bringing back the most vulnerable children and then modify programs as needed.

“It’s important that the government see these children as victims” says Dyah. “They deserve a chance to be children again.”

Monster Merchants of Infant Death