Kids are meant to enjoy their childhoods.
Hence, after school, they have free time to do things that will eventually mold them into individuals when they grow up, and all of which starts at home.
Unfortunately, there are some children in Malaysia that don’t get to enjoy their free time, or a loving home at that.
Mohd Najib took to his Facebook page to showcase a little boy, no more than 11 or 12-years-old, who was sleeping on the sidewalk outside a 7-Eleven. It turns out that the boy had a home, but he couldn’t go back because his father would beat him if he didn’t finish selling all the bottles of perfume given to him.
Mohd Najib had just finished an examination workshop and was returning to his hotel in Kampung Baru, KL, when he decided to stop at the 7-Eleven to buy some batteries. That’s when he stumbled upon the boy sleeping on the sidewalk and asked the cashier about him.
He wrote, “The cashier said that the boy often slept there because he was tired from selling perfumes until late at night. I slipped my hand into my pocket as I woke the boy up. He seemed to have difficulties sleeping considering it’s hard to sleep on the cold mosaic floor especially since it just rained. I woke him up and handed him some money.”
The boy refused to take the money but instead asked Mohd Najib to buy a bottle of perfume if he insisted on helping.
Source: Facebook
Mohd Najib ended up buying 1 bottle while another passerby bought 2.
In an update, Mohd Najib explained that the boy actually had a home, but ever since his parents had split up, his father had forced him to sell random items like perfumes. If the boy didn’t finish selling off his stock, he was not allowed to go home or he would be beaten.
He wrote, “The boy has been sleeping by the 7-Eleven for a while. Not just at night, sometimes even during the day. His father and mother are separated. His father would force him to sell all kinds of things, including perfumes. His father doesn’t allow him to come home as long as he hasn’t finished selling the items. If not, he’d get slapped and beaten.”
Luckily for the boy, a few charities and non-governmental groups have reached out to help him.
We genuinely hope that the little boy will never have to sell anything against his will or sleep by the roadside ever again.
Mohd Najib’s posting has since garnered over 7,300 shares.
Hopefully now he can start enjoying his childhood.
Also read: Viral 7yo Iban Girl Sings Beautifully, But Netizens Attack Her For Not Knowing Bahasa Malaysia
