Vulnerable families and youth in Singapore to get more support to stay away from drugs, crime

SINGAPORE - When she was 11 in 2004, she wondered why her parents loved drugs more than her. Five years later, she joined her family in taking drugs so she could fit in.

She later ended up in rehabilitation and was released in 2014, when she was 21. By then, she had two children.

In that time, non-profit organisation New Life Stories had taken up her case to help her stay away from drugs.

Recounting the girl’s experience, its executive director Saleemah Ismail said it was a heartbreaking case that she remembers to this day.

She said: “The girl had asked, ‘Why do my parents love drugs more than me?’ But after she became a parent to two kids, she also took drugs in front of them.”

The woman, now 31, had gone back to drugs and was incarcerated from 2017 to 2020.

“It was only when we took her kids to visit her behind bars that she decided to change and kick drugs,” said Ms Saleemah, noting that the former addict has been clean for six years.

New Life Stories is among three new project groups, which are part of the Malay/Muslim Organisations (MMO) rehabilitation network’s efforts to help vulnerable families and youth affected by incarceration.

On Sept 25, the MMO Rehabilitation Network Forum 2024 was held at the Ministry of Home Affairs, with 20 organisations sharing about their programmes to help families in the Malay/Muslim community who are affected by loved ones ending up in jail.

Officials from the Singapore Prison Service (SPS), Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) and Singapore Police Force also attended, with some of them co-leading the three groups.

At the event, the guest of honour, Minister of State for Home Affairs Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, announced the formation of the three new project groups to help vulnerable families.

Group 1 is co-led by Ms Saleemah of New Life Stories, Singapore Muslim Women’s Association chief executive Aidaroyani Adam and Ms Salina Samion from SPS.

It will focus on strengthening support for families, as “stable families are key to sustaining an ex-offender’s desistance journey” and also prevent intergenerational offending, Associate Professor Faishal said.

The group will help vulnerable families deal with conflicts, organise community events for them and teach them how to welcome back loved ones after their release from prison.

Prof Faishal said Group 2 will focus on strengthening support for inmates and former offenders with poor or no family support, especially drug offenders.

Co-led by the Singapore Islamic Scholars and Religious Teachers Association secretary, Dr Siti Nur Alaniah, and Mr Mohamed Nizaar from SPS, it is also developing a befriender programme for offenders and former offenders who lack family support. 

The befrienders will explore and partner with cultural and interest-based groups, depending on the offender’s interest. For example, an offender interested in silat can be paired with a silat group to practise the martial art.

Dr Alaniah said matching former offenders with people of similar interests can give them support in their road to a cleaner life.

“We want to encourage them to look at themselves in a way where they are not just an offender. They are still someone who can bring meaning to their life and also to the lives of others,” she said.

Prof Faishal said Group 3 will look into measures to prevent offending among youth and review existing efforts and suggest ideas to reduce delinquency in the community.

It will be led by 4PM Malay Youth Literary Association executive director Didicazli Cindy, Indian Muslim Social Service Association secretary Irfana Banu, Mr Rudy Dzulkarnaen from the police and Mr Muhammad Rizal from CNB.

Mr Didicazli said the primary cause of offending is negative influence from peers, online or their families.

The group wants to make use of positive influences to encourage positive behaviour among young people.

Mr Didicazli said: “We’ll tell them, ‘You can stay at the block till midnight to play guitar, just don’t take drugs.’”

In his speech, Prof Faishal also said he is heartened by the progress made by MMO.

“The two-year recidivism rate for the Malay offender population has come down to 26 per cent for the latest release cohort of 2021, from 35 per cent for the 2011 release cohort,” he noted.