Learn From The Case Of Penculikating Malika: Parents Must Understand The Stage Of Child Development

Malika (carried) when she was about to be questioned at the Kramat Jati Police Hospital, East Jakarta on January 3, 2023 after being found on December 7, 2022. (Special)

JAKARTA - The case of kidnapping Malika Anastasya's child (6) may be an reflection of parents to better understand the child's developmental phase. Teaching children social skills is very important to develop their mental, physical, and emotional health.

However, parents should not be careless. Supervision must continue because the early stages of childhood between the ages of 2-6 years, according to Maryam B. gainau in the book 'Child Psychology' is a vulnerable phase.

"It is starting to become prone to physical hazards (communications or accidents) as well as psychological hazards (social influences from the surrounding environment)," said Maryam.

Children at that age tend to be bolder and like to try new things. Start learning to have social relationships and hang out with people outside the home environment. They learn to adapt and work together in playing activities. Repeating an activity, action, or speech.

Likewise in the final phase of children in the age range of 6-12 years. Maryam called it, Faces are not neat, difficult times or fighting times.

Children aged about 6-12 years, according to child psychologist Muh. Daud, usually shows extraordinary adaptation to his always changing social environment.

"Children began to think deductively and began to be interested in anything that was fun and gave them busy," said Muh. Daud in his "Books for Psychology of Child Development".

So it is natural for children to easily follow persuasion. Moreover, persuasion led to fun for him.

Like when the kidnapping of Malika's child occurred on December 7, 2022. Malika complied with the perpetrator's wishes to buy flour fried chicken. There was no rejection because the perpetrator was not too foreign to him. Several times the perpetrator stopped at a shop owned by Malika's parents in the Sawah Besar area, Central Jakarta.

It is a form of adjustment made by Malika to the environment and those around it.

Apparently, after buying fried chicken, the perpetrator did not return to the shop, but asked Malika to ride a bajaj and disappear. Until January 2, 2023, the police found the perpetrator and Malika in the Ciledug area. The perpetrator, who is a recidivist in the child molestation case, invited Malika to believe and live on a cart.

According to Chairman of the Federation Expert Council of Indonesian Teachers' Unions (FSGI) Retno Listyarti, parents must play an important role in providing restrictions on their children. Firm in instilling moral and behavioral values by introducing good and bad concepts, as well as being appropriate and inappropriate to children.

Permissive parenting by freeing children to do whatever they want to do without questioning, on the one hand, tends to be very risky for children. Still need control from parents.

Retno gave tips avoiding children from becoming victims of kidnapping:

"To educate children is one way to avoid our children from becoming victims of kidnappings," said Retno Listyarti, who is also the Commissioner of the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI).