CHILDREN's rights in Malaysia have progressed since the Child Act came into force in 2001.
But every now and then, parts of Malaysia turn into Victorian England, producing their own versions of Dickensian Oliver Twist plying the streets hawking merchandise for the profit of those who ferry them there.
Today, it is the turn of Johor Baru, where child peddlers sell food for a "pay" of RM50.
The children, aged between 9 and 12, are most likely coerced into doing it by a syndicate.
As this newspaper reported on Monday, they are ferried by a van every night, one as far as 50km from home, to restaurants and some such places to peddle food at double the price.
Lying to them of being "orphans" as instructed by the man who ferried them there, they are able to exploit the charitable ones.
It is sad that children of such a tender age are being trained to lie when they should be taught to speak the truth.
What is equally bad is that they should be in bed, getting enough sleep to be ready for school the next day.
A child must not be robbed of his childhood thus. The authorities should stem this problem before it becomes unmanageable.
Quibbling over whether it is abuse or otherwise is of no help. The Child Act is clear: making children peddle goods or beg on the street is illegal.
Do not get us wrong. This isn't a call for haste. Rather, it is an invitation to the authorities for a studied race to a solution of the problem.
Consider the parents of the child peddlers. For sure, the Child Act makes the parents liable for abandoning, neglecting or exposing their children to danger.
This is the legal point of Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001. But would doing so solve the child peddlers problem? It would neither deter parents nor snuff out child exploitation.
No, we are not against throwing the statute book at parents. By all means do so. But only as a last resort. The first resort is to go after the criminals who exploit children for profit.
The police can start by arresting the van driver who has been ferrying them around Johor Baru. He may not be the only one involved in this illegal trade that has been going on for two years. A criminal ring is plausible. Unsurprisingly, child exploitation isn't just restricted to Johor Baru. It is a north-south and every place in between sad story.
Back to the parents of the child peddlers. All are struggling to make ends meet, either because they are single parents or their household income isn't enough to support their family.
Granted they need advice, but support is what they need more. By "support" we don't just mean financial aid. It must be read to be more.
As Lao Tzu famously said: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."
Those whose task it is to ensure the welfare of Malaysians, must do this first. Only then it will be fair to throw the statute book at them.