Let compassion prevail with these kids

I READ about the 31 children aged 14 to 17 in Johor who were detained on suspicion of using identity cards belonging to others to gain employment (“Over 30 minors nabbed for using ICs of others to work in Johor factory”, The Star, Nov 17; online at bit.ly/4rcBCfz). Some had dropped out of school when they were just 12, while others still attending school claimed they were working at the factory during the school holidays.

This news caught me with mixed feelings. Yes, they appear to have committed a crime by using identity cards belonging to others, but they were doing so to get work. Most teenagers who abuse an adult’s identity card usually do so for the wrong reasons – to commit a crime like buying alcohol or access an online porn site. But these kids wanted to work!