http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20110411-272978.html
THIS is like a script for a soap opera - there is a wayward
daughter, a desperate mother and a conniving mamasan. It ends with
the drama-filled rescue of the daughter, 19, from a life of
prostitution. But this is no TV drama : Jane's spiral into the
darker side of life is not fictitious but all too real, and such
cases continue to occur here in Singapore.
Tragedy struck early. Her father was murdered in 1997 when she
was five. Her mother, Jenny, was not around to give her the
attention and love she needed - the pre-school teacher was working
12-hour shifts to make ends meet and attended evening classes
thrice weekly in a bid to upgrade herself.
Jane also alleged that a relative was molesting her. She claimed
she told her mother about it but Jenny denied any knowledge of
it.
"I hated staying at home," said Jane who shares a three-room HDB
flat with her mother, 20-year-old brother, grandmother, aunt and
12-year-old cousin.
Jane told her mother in March 2008 that she wanted to go to a
girls' home but her mum was against it.
The Normal Technical student said: "So I threatened her, saying
I'd become worse - smoke, drink and hang out with boys."
Between December 2007 and April 2008, Jane stole almost $2,000
from her grandmother's bank account.
She used the money to buy treats for her friends.
Her family found out only after Jane told a school
counsellor.
In May that year, her mother filed for a Beyond Parental Control
order at the Juvenile Court. After the order was approved, Jane
entered a girls' home.
There, Jane met a girl who introduced her to her 31-year-old
aunt. They hit it off so well that Jane called the woman her "big
sister".
When she left the girls' home last June, Jane spent most of her
time at the woman's flat in Ang Mo Kio, hanging out with other
girls, some of whom were prostitutes who worked for the woman.
There, Jane thought she found the love and family warmth she
craved, but things were about to take a darker turn.
Jenny, said she did not stop her daughter from spending time
with the woman as she did not want to alienate the girl
further.
Jane had told her that the woman worked as a kitchen helper.
"She seemed strict but nice. I was grateful she was looking
after my daughter and the other youngsters," Jenny said.
What she did not realise was that the woman had persuaded Jane
to be a prostitute to help out with her new "family" and earn some
money.
On Valentine's Day this year, the woman gave Jane $20 for cab
fare and sent her to a budget hotel, decked in revealing clothes
and stilettoes.
In the hotel room, Jane panicked and started crying when the
customer undressed. She ran out and confided in her 20-year-old
boyfriend.
Upset, her boyfriend confronted the woman, who then threw the
couple out of her flat.
Jane moved in with her boyfriend. But four days later, the woman
called Jane.
She said: "She told me she had another customer and I better do
as I was told."
Frightened, the girl gave in.
"I felt terrible after that. Every day, I wanted to get out but
how could I? She was a gangster and threatened to get people to
beat up my family." So Jane continued to work as a prostitute in
Geylang.
By last month, her mother had trouble contacting her.
Worried, Jenny hired a private investigator (PI) to locate her
daughter. After a week, the PI told her that her daughter was
soliciting for customers in Geylang.
"I was so upset I couldn't work. I cried so hard," Jenny
confessed.
She told Jane's secondary school counsellor and both women went
to the flat where Jane was living in on March 12.
Said the counsellor : "Jane's mother and I were surrounded by at
least 10 youngsters. We stood outside the rental flat, negotiating
to get Jane out.
"Some of the youngsters looked dazed and kept muttering to
themselves. There were eight girls squatting nearby."
They argued with the mamasan for over an hour.
"She was hurling abuse and shouting that no one tells her what
to do. She said Jane was not a young child and nobody forced her to
be a prostitute," the counsellor said.
"I told her I was there to take Jane away, not to create
trouble, and that I wouldn't hesitate to call the police."
The woman eventually relented.
The counsellor found a temporary shelter for Jane, who moved
back home last week.
Jane started attending tuition classes at a counselling centre
"so that I can prepare to take my N levels" at the end of the year.
She plans to get a part-time job after that.
Jenny said of her daughter: "She's bright and loves kids. Maybe
she can be a pre-school teacher like me, a nurse or a flight
stewardess. But first, she needs to get a proper education.
"Maybe this incident had opened her eyes a bit more and made her
realise the consequences of her decisions."
But Jane may not be ready to put her troubled past behind
her.
On Wednesday, her counsellor said the girl had stopped going to
the centre, which she is supposed to attend from Monday to
Saturday.
"I heard she's hanging out with some friends in that group
again. Counsellors can't be there 24/7," she said.
"The family must also do their part to support her and bond with
her ."
KEEP an open door for troubled youngsters so they know they can
seek help.
That's the advice Care Corner Counselling Centre's Philip Chan
gave when he heard about Jane's case.
"Her decision to enter a girls' home seemed like a desperate
move. She felt she had no one to turn to in her own home, so she
sought outside friends who appeared to offer the love and
protection she lacked," the counsellor said.
The betrayal of trust when the woman persuaded her into
prostitution - would be difficult to heal.
"Jane has lived with the idea that she is powerless since young.
She has no idea what protection she can get," Mr Chan said.
Cry for help
Added Mrs Seah Kheng Yeow, a senior social worker at Promoting
Alternatives to Violence:"When a child has delinquent behaviour,
his or her actions are often a cry for help. That is why we tell
parents they have to take their child's report of abuse
seriously.
Children rarely lie about such things." A lot depends on Jane's
desire to make a clean break too.
Said Mr Chan: "Her mother will probably be unable to manage her
much, since she's no longer a child. The counsellor also cannot be
keeping an eye on her 24/7. It's difficult to pull Jane back if she
doesn't want to do so herself.
"There could be many reasons why she chose to see that group of
friends again - maybe she is bored or feels there is no one she can
relate to at home. The most important thing is to keep the door
open when she seeks support."
