Video of toddler slipping through BTO flat's grille gate raises concerns

Video of toddler slipping through BTO flat's grille gate raises concerns

A mother, who put up a Facebook post with a video to highlight the hazards of the grille gate of her Housing Development Board's (HDB) Built-To-Order (BTO) flat, was welcomed by many grateful netizens but some slammed her for being an "attention-seeker".

Her video, which has already garnered nearly 100,0000 views, showed how her daughter - a toddler - was able to slip through the metal gate very easily because of the wide gaps.

Going by the moniker EyeDa Erin Chan, she said all the BTO apartments in her estate came with the same gate design. The estate is not explicitly stated but her post is tagged to Yishun Greenwalk.

In her post, she warned parents: "Please be careful as any stranger can just grab your child without them having to open the gate!"

A similar post, titled "Why BTO flats got big gap on main gate???', was also shared on former National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan's Facebook page. The user probably didn't realise that he is now Singapore's Transport Minister.

Defending her reason for putting up the post, EyeDa Erin Chan said she was merely creating awareness to prevent unwanted accidents.

"I would never forgive myself if something bad happens to my children and therefore I shared this video to make an awarenes so parents can do something about their gates," she wrote.

She rebutted critics of her video: "If you think that I am seeking attention, you do not have to watch or share my video."

However, many netizens rushed to her defence. Asking her to ignore their unkind comments, some also gave suggestions of how to make the gates safe, for instance, by adding a protective layer or a board as a cover.

One Facebook user, who liked the video, penned: "This is really scary. I hope HDB provide solutions to improvise the gate as this neighbourhood really has got a handful of households with really young children."

Another concerned resident wrote: "Oh no wonder HDB call me the other day and ask if I wanna add more gate or not."

chenj@sph.com.sg

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