No one has yet to know the motive behind the torture and the brutal killing of Nurin Jazlin Jazimin, the eight-year-old girl in Kuala Lumpur. It could be that some psychopathic serial killers are on the loose.

Her tortured body was found a month after she went missing in a bag somewhere near a shopping complex. Just imagine the ordeal she went through in the hands of these psychopaths during that one-month period. A lesson to be learnt from this incident is for parents to be more cautious when leaving children unattended as something untoward could befall them.

In our society, most cases of children kidnapped in family abductions were taken from homes. Child kidnapping involving non-family abductions has also happened in homes. Some were taken away from the streets, vehicles, playground and shopping complexes.

Poverty has also caused many parents to leave their children to fend to themselves in many areas, especially in squatter areas, urban streets and poor urban sites. When parents are out working, these children are left on their own. They can be seen playing with friends in the yard and streets without any supervision. This is an observable fact and these children risk being abducted.

Parents should accept the fact that abduction of children is a worldwide phenomenon. It happens in developed and poor countries. Children are abducted for various reasons and no one can predict when this mishap can happen to the family. In most cases, these abducted children are tortured, raped or killed. Some are let free after ransom is paid. Many are maimed and made to beg for syndicates.

It's not possible either for the society to educate the masses and make them all become good citizens. No matter what campaigns we do to create a civil society or how stringent laws are, we are bound to have some unpredictable characters out there to create social disorder in life. These are the people who are ill-disposed towards good social values - stalking innocent children to prey on them.

It may sound cruel to charge parents for their negligence when something untoward happens to their children who are supposedly under their protection. But then, in a family who else can the children depend on other than their parents? The onus is hence on the parents to ensure that their children are always safe.

In most cases, however, it may not be that easy for the law to establish the fact that parents are always on the wrong when their children become the subject of harm, such as abduction, rape and killing. Nevertheless, with this move, at least, parents could become more responsible and would have a second thought before neglecting or leaving their children unattended.

Thus, parents have no choice but to be more responsible as prevention is always better than cure. Parents should teach their children about personal safety and protection measures. Children could also be taught to be self-assured and evasive to protect themselves against abduction.

Parents and the community in general should be aware that children of every age, gender, and race are vulnerable to child abduction. It's erroneous to assume that children are matured and safe enough from being abducted the moment they show a little sign of independence in life. Parents should be aware of this susceptibility and do everything within their means to ensure the safety of their children.

Let the recent tragedy that befell Nurin be a reminder to all parents. To the late Nurin, this world showed her no mercy. Let us now pray for her soul to rest in peace.