When the integrated resorts and casinos are operational by 2010, they will attract sex workers.
I am glad the authorities recognise the need for licensed sex workers. Girls in licensed brothels are issued with 'yellow cards', which require them to undergo medical check-ups fortnightly.
Furthermore, these prostitutes must be at least 23years old.
Singapore must have a practical and realistic policy.
Song Tiang Ann
Parents the best sex educators
I REFER to the article, 'Upping marriage age for Muslims: Clout for caregivers but some fear more abortions' (The Sunday Times, March16).
We applaud the move to up the marriage age for Muslims from 16 to 18, and agree with the community leaders and professionals interviewed that the root problem of early Muslim marriages and the high rate of divorce is teenage sex.
To address this, a collaborative effort is required from parents, educators, the media, health professionals and society at large.
At Focus On The Family, we advocate abstinence until marriage as a realistic, achievable life goal for youth. Teenagers can make good choices to control their sexual urges when values of good character and healthy relationships are inculcated in them.
Likewise, heightened awareness of the value of marriage and the benefits of saving sex for marriage will help them make wise choices towards a fulfilling and promising future, and avoid suffering the consequences of unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.
We wholeheartedly agree with imam and kadi (marriage solemniser) Muhammad Saiful Alam that sex education needs to start at home. Teenagers often turn to peers and the media for advice, which may be inadequate and inaccurate.
Hence, the best sex educators would be parents, who truly have their children's interests at heart.
Focus On The Family recognises the difficulty that many parents have in broaching this often taboo subject, and has recently launched Let's Talk About Sex, a programme that equips parents with the skills to talk to their children about sex from a values-based perspective.
This, we believe, is a good start in offering hope in an otherwise seemingly bleak situation.
Joanna Koh-Hoe (Ms)
President
Focus On The Family
Hurry with the bollards
I REFER to the report, 'Bus-stop crash: Driver failed breath test, says cop' (ST, March18), on the motorist whose car allegedly ploughed into a bus stop and hit six people.
This incident suggests that the Land Transport Authority needs to rethink its reasons for not having bollards installed at certain bus stops.
There are many reasons a car could plough into a bus stop. Please speed up the installation of bollards at unprotected bus stops.
Sam Kong San
Ease the stress of children
I REFER to the report, 'More troubled kids turning to IMH' (The Sunday Times, March16).
It is disheartening to learn that more children here are seeking professional help at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH). Stress and the Internet are cited as two main reasons for this trend.
Many children turn to Internet chatrooms for solace because they are lonely. They often go home to an empty house as their parents work long hours.
Parents with high expectations of their children, and who focus more on their schoolwork and test scores than on the youngsters' well-being, are also compounding their children's stress problem.
Many youngsters dread it when examinations come around, and some spend long hours online as a way to escape the exam blues.
It is time parents gave their children the space and time to pursue their own hobbies and have fun. Too many youngsters here are burdened by homework, tuition, co-curricular activities and examinations.
Gilbert Goh Keow Wah
Hubei, China
No business, no loan sharks
I TOTALLY agree with Holland-Bukit Timah GRC MP Christopher de Souza's suggestion that borrowers who use illegal loans to gamble be punished. So also those who give false addresses in order to secure such loans ('Illegal loans: Punish the borrowers too?'; The Sunday Times, March9).
Loan sharks should be caned so as to deter them from lending money in future, as well as to stop practices such as splashing paint on borrowers' gates or threatening them or their families with harm.
As for the borrowers, a jail term should be imposed. They are the ones who create a demand for such loans. If there is no demand, the loan sharks would be out of business.
Toh Heen Choi
Know where to leave kids
I REFER to the report, 'Bookshop or daycare?' (The Sunday Times, March16).
I find parents who leave their children unattended in bookshops irresponsible.
Bookshops are not daycare centres. Some young children damage the books on display or even soil the premises. And if the youngsters are lost, the parents would hold the shop assistants accountable.
Parents who wish to shop or run errands should just leave their children with their own relatives.
Prem Kumar
