I affirm Dr Joel Gwynne's willingness to step forward to have a conversation with a father who purportedly administered a form of punishment that seemed unacceptable and disproportionate, considering the young age of the child (he was a year old) and the context (the child was asking for his mother) ("Violence towards kids is not 'family business'"; Tuesday).

I agree with Dr Gwynne that the mindset of the public needs a shift.

We encourage anyone who witnesses violence towards children to speak up or reach out to someone who needs such help ("Speak up against abuse" by Madam Ng Poh Leng; yesterday).

The public can also call Heart@ Fei Yue on 6819-9170 if they suspect that a child is being abused or neglected.

Their words and actions can make a big difference to a child in need.

Heart@ Fei Yue is a community- based child protection specialist centre funded by the Ministry of Social and Family Development.

We have handled almost 600 child protection cases over the past three years.

We will be running a child protection campaign and carnival in October to increase public awareness of child protection issues. Together, we can all play our part in working towards a caring society.

Ng Kwai Sim (Ms)

Centre Head

Heart@ Fei Yue Child Protection Specialist Centre