KUALA LUMPUR – Exposure to social problems is among the harsh realities faced by a teenage girl living on the upper floor of a shoplot building in Chow Kit here.
The girl, identified as Kiera, 13, (not her real name) said she had once witnessed an unknown man openly taking drugs near the staircase leading to her home.
She said the incident happened while she was returning from school and climbing the stairs to her residence.
“As I was going up to the house, I saw a man taking drugs on the staircase.
“Even though I felt scared, I pretended not to notice and quickly went into the house. He should not have been taking drugs there,” she said during a recent Sinar survey around the Chow Kit area.
The eldest of four siblings said she also frequently encountered people who were drunk or appeared mentally unstable in the neighbourhood.
She admitted that such encounters often left her emotionally distressed.
Kiera, who studies at Sekolah Bimbingan Jalinan Kasih here, said her family chose not to stay in their hometown in Sungai Buloh, Selangor due to employment difficulties.
“In Sungai Buloh it is quite difficult for my parents to find work. Besides, here in Chow Kit many people provide donations and assistance.
“For me, living in Sungai Buloh is more comfortable, but Chow Kit is also okay. Sometimes it just feels stressful seeing people taking drugs or getting drunk right in front of us,” she said.
Kiera added that her family usually collected food aid only during weekends as her mother was busy managing their schooling needs on other days.
“Usually I also bring back rice from school for dinner. So my mother said there is no need to go down every day to collect food assistance,” she added.