PETALING JAYA: Lawyers say a man who had his young daughter strapped to him as he participated in a highly-dangerous leisure activity can be charged with endangering the child’s life.
According to human rights lawyer Andrew Khoo, the parents, as well as any parties involved in having the child participate in such dangerous activities, can be prosecuted for allegedly “putting the child in a dangerous situation that may cause physical or emotional injury to them”.
He was referring to a video clip showing Mohd Redha Rozlan holding his daughter, Mecca Mikaela, aged 2, before performing what is known as a “rope spring jump” from a height of 60 metres off a bridge in Kuala Kubu Bharu, Hulu Selangor.
“Yes, action can be taken under the Child Act. This clearly breached safety requirements, too.
“The company operating the rope spring jump was also negligent for not preventing the parent from having the child tag along,” he said, in response to the 15-second video clip that has gone viral on Facebook.
Redha later responded to the negative response from users on social media saying that the child was also on a safety harness, strapped to him, while he was secured safely to the rope spring apparatus.
“Chill guys, Mecca Mikaela was the one who wanted to do the jump with me. There was no forcing.
“She enjoyed her first jump and requested to do it again, but I was afraid.
“She was also wearing complete safety harness and gear,” Redha said, adding that the company behind the activity, Rentas Adventures, are certified and licenced to organise such activities.
He also warned parents against doing this with their child if their child is not ready for it.
Redha, an IT-related officer, aged 30, was a 2014 Fear Factor Malaysia champion and had also taken part in a Japanese TV sports entertainment game programme, Sasuke Việt Nam (Ninja Warrior), in 2016.
His “rope spring jump” video received a torrent of angry responses accusing him of “endangering a child’s life” and was shared by more than 3,500 users, aside from being viewed more than 300,000 times.
Khoo, who is a member of the Malaysian Bar’s child rights committee, pointed out that action can also be taken against the woman who made the recording “for aiding or abetting”.
“She should have stopped it but she did not and instead took a video of the whole incident,” he said.
Meanwhile, child rights lawyer Goh Siu Lin said the child’s parents had lacked proper parental judgement by involving her in such a dangerous activity.
“Rope spring jump is an extreme sport and dangerous, and there is a high likelihood of the motions in such an activity causing physical injury to her.
“I have never heard of any child of that age being allowed to participate in such an extreme sports,” she said.
She added that the girl could have undergone possible emotional injury by having to endure the shock of being flung down and that it is an offence under the Child Act.
Goh also questioned if the relevant authorities were monitoring such activities and the organisers behind it.