Parents, befriend your daughters

It's worrying that some girls as young as 15 have approached escort agencies asking for work.

Speaking to The New Paper, the director of youth services at the Singapore Children's Society, Dr Carol Balhetchet, said this could be due to today's "materialistic and indulgent youth society".

She added that some young girls are attracted to the glamorous lifestyle around them. Dr Balhetchet said: "They want designer bags, designer shoes, designer clothes. These things are expensive.

"And if they cannot obtain money from their parents to buy these things, they may look for other ways to raise it."

And one of the ways could be through the sex trade.

To prevent this, Dr Balhetchet advised parents to build a close and open relationship with their daughters when they are still little.

"Build a relationship based on trust and respect. Doing so will be like building a bridge between parents and their daughters."

Parents should also look out for "warning signs", said Dr Balhetchet.

"For instance, the girl suddenly seems to have a lot of money, more than what her parents give her. She could also suddenly have expensive clothes and bags in her possession," she said.

Should this happen, Dr Balhetchet advised parents to approach their daughter gently.

Don't nag

She stressed that they should not nag.

"Parents should tell the daughter that they care for her. They should address their concerns to her and listen to what she has to say. Be calm and collected."

Retiree Mahmud Abdullah, 65, agreed with her.

The father of two adult daughters said: "Nowadays, parents must not keep their children in check with an iron fist.

"Doing so could only make things worse and make your children hide things from you."

This article was first published in The New Paper.