SOS-We Care 4U: An initiative to enhance the street children’s security and protection

Abstract

“SOS-We Care 4U” was innovatively designed to provide emergency contacts for street children to enhance their security and protection while they are on the street. This initiative has been translated into various forms, which were: (1) SOS-necklace; (2) SOS-laminated card; (3) SOS-sticker; (4) SOS-key chain; and (5) SOS-We Care 4U website; aimed at widening the accessibility of street children to get help from the relevant agencies such as Royal Malaysian Police, Department of Social Welfare, public hospital, local authority and non-governmental organizations. Notably, “SOS-We Care 4U” has been presented during the Invention, Innovation and Design Exposition 2016 (iidex 2016) on 20 – 23 September 2016 at Dewan Agung Tuanku Canselor; and has been awarded Silver Award for Young Inventor (Post-graduate) Category. “SOS-We Care 4U” was developed based on the findings of the Master Degree research, entitled: “Survival strategies of street children and their consequences: A comparative study between the Kuala Lumpur city and Kota Kinabalu, Sabah”; and a research grant, entitled: “Social construction and identity formation of street children in a Malaysian context”. Based on the findings of these two research, the life of street children full with hardships and difficulties. While they are on the street, street children are exposed to high risks such as street violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation, bullying, gangsterism and many others. Since they are still children, the majority of them do not know how to seek help when they are in dangerous situations. They only have their street friends as the ‘sources of help’. Hence, SOS-We Care 4U as one of the initiatives that is highly needed to uphold the street children’s rights for security and protection because they are our children; they are among the victims of our failure; and they require adequate protection and security from all of us.