Measures against ‘seditious’ youths include rehabilitation, prison
Screengrab of the YouTube video by Amos Yee. Amos has been charged with making offensive remarks about Christians.
SINGAPORE — Youths who make offensive remarks pertaining to race and religion can be dealt with in various ways, such as being issued conditional warnings, being placed under probation or in juvenile rehabilitation centres or even sent to prison.
The measure taken depends on the severity of the offence, Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Social and Family Development Low Yen Ling told the House today (May 11).
Ms Low, who is also Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, added: “These measures encourage offenders to take responsibility for their actions and equip them with the life skills to embark on constructive lifestyles.”
She was answering a question from Nominated Member of Parliament Kuik Shiao-Yin on the available programmes to rehabilitate youth offenders who make seditious remarks.
The question comes at a time when teenage blogger Amos Yee is facing a charge of making offensive remarks against Christianity although his offence comes under the Penal Code. Ms Kuik did not make reference to Amos’ case.
Speaking in Parliament, Ms Low said rehabilitation programmes for youth offenders who make seditious remarks involve counselling and the chance for them to interact with people of different races and religion. They could also be mentored by staff and volunteers.
For example, youths on probation can be referred to inter-cultural programmes, such as the two-day Exploration In Ethnicity course run by OnePeople.sg, an organisation that spearheads racial harmony initiatives, said Ms Low.
Pointing to the pervasive use of online communication among youths, Ms Kuik asked if the Ministry of Education (MOE) and Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) runs educational programmes on the social, political and legal boundaries when it comes to issues of race and religion.
In response, Ms Low said the MOE has cyberwellness programmes to educate students on how to be safe, responsible and respectful online users.
“If there are some parents who face difficulties in addressing (their) children’s challenging behaviour — whether online or offline — there are platforms for them to approach community agencies, for example Family Service Centres ... or counsellors in schools to guide parents and students accordingly,” she added.
