SINGAPORE: Netizens have lamented what they described as systemic and institutional failures in Singapore’s child protection system, following the release of a review panel’s findings into the tragic death of four-year-old Megan Khung.
Many argued that Megan’s death could have been prevented if the authorities had acted sooner and called for urgent reforms to prevent similar tragedies from recurring.
Review Panel Releases Findings
A review panel released its report on 23 October, detailing how lapses across multiple agencies contributed to the prolonged abuse and eventual death of Megan, who died in February 2020 after more than a year of mistreatment by her mother and her mother’s then-boyfriend.
The findings followed an announcement by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) in April 2025 that a comprehensive review would be conducted across all agencies involved in the case.
These included Beyond Social Services, the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA), MSF’s Child Protective Service (CPS), and the Singapore Police Force.
In its earlier statement on 11 April 2025, MSF acknowledged that an incident report submitted by Beyond Social Services in 2019 had failed to capture the severity of Megan’s injuries, which contributed to insufficient intervention.
The ministry stressed that the review’s purpose was not to apportion blame but to identify weaknesses in the system and strengthen coordination among agencies responsible for child protection.
The review was launched shortly after the sentencing of Megan’s mother, Foo Li Ping, and her partner Wong Shi Xiang, on 3 April 2025.
Foo was sentenced to 19 years’ imprisonment for allowing her daughter’s death and other offences, while Wong received 30 years’ jail and 17 strokes of the cane for culpable homicide and drug-related crimes.
Early Warning Signs Ignored
According to the panel’s report, the first warning signs appeared in early 2019 when Foo moved into a rented apartment on Guillemard Road with Wong.
Megan primarily lived with her maternal grandmother but occasionally stayed with her mother on weekends.
Between 18 February and 18 March 2019, Megan attended preschool for only five days. When questioned, Foo told teachers she had “disciplined” her daughter and did not want them to think she was abusive.
On 19 March 2019, teachers discovered multiple bruises on Megan during a health check. Beyond Social Services was alerted and met separately with Foo and the grandmother.
Foo claimed the injuries were due to discipline and a cycling accident.
The incident was classified as “excessive discipline” rather than abuse, and a temporary care plan was introduced, requiring Megan to stay overnight only with her grandmother.
However, after a quarrel on 22 March, Foo and Wong were again allowed weekend contact.
The grandmother raised suspicions about the couple’s possible drug use, but this information was excluded from the report later sent to ECDA as it could not be verified.
Delays and Downplayed Reports
On 5 April 2019, the preschool filed an incident report to ECDA — 17 days after the injuries were first discovered.
The report downplayed the severity of Megan’s condition and omitted photographs showing bruises and possible burn marks.
ECDA acknowledged the report on 9 April, but after confirming that Megan was attending school regularly and appeared well, no further action was taken.
Between April and August 2019, Foo repeatedly postponed a Family Group Conference meant to determine long-term care arrangements.
Despite clear signs of instability, no deeper investigation or follow-up was conducted.
Escalation Attempts Fall Through
The situation worsened in September 2019, when Megan stopped attending preschool altogether. Foo later withdrew her from school, claiming dissatisfaction with the curriculum.
The grandmother last saw Megan over a video call between 10 and 20 September, during which the child appeared “fine”.
Between 20 and 27 September, Beyond Social Services tried to alert both CPS and HEART@Fei Yue, a child protection specialist centre.
One of two calls made to CPS was not recorded in the system, while the retrieved call failed to convey the seriousness of the case.
HEART declined to open a file, citing the inability to locate Foo and Megan. The panel later concluded that HEART should have treated the outreach as a referral for full case management.
Missed Opportunities and Police Inaction
In early October 2019, ECDA advised that the grandmother could lodge a police report.
Beyond Social Services also approached two police officers informally, but no report was filed due to a misunderstanding that only family members could do so.
By November, Foo had blocked her mother on all platforms. Although social workers urged the grandmother to file a police report, she hesitated, fearing Foo might flee with Megan.
A formal report was only lodged on 17 January 2020, but the investigating officer classified the case as low risk, referencing earlier assessments.
The officer was later redeployed for COVID-19 duties, and no follow-up occurred.
The panel identified this as a critical missed opportunity that could have saved Megan’s life.
Tragic End and Arrests
On 22 February 2020, Megan died after Wong punched her in the stomach. She had endured prolonged abuse, including starvation, exposure to heat, humiliation, and being forced to sleep in a planter box.
Her body was burned in a metal barrel, and her ashes were later scattered at East Coast Park.
Foo and Wong were arrested in July 2020, and both were convicted five years later in 2025.
Panel Finds Systemic Failures
The review panel concluded that Megan’s death might have been prevented had agencies acted decisively and in coordination.
The report identified systemic failures across six agencies — MSF’s Child Protective Service, Beyond Social Services, ECDA, HEART@Fei Yue, the Singapore Police Force, and the Healthy Start Child Development Centre — citing miscommunication, poor risk assessment, delayed reporting, and lack of accountability among officers.
Public Lament Over Systemic Failures
Following the release of the findings, social media platforms such as CNA, Mothership, and The Straits Times’ Facebook pages were flooded with emotional reactions from the public.
Many netizens described the case as a systemic failure and expressed outrage that so many warning signs had been missed.
“So basically, the system failed her. So many warning signs. She could have been saved,” one user commented.
Another wrote that the tragedy could have been avoided “if someone in charge had actually shown up to look for them at their house or workplace”.
One user criticised the panel’s phrasing of its statement, arguing that the panel should have acknowledged the case was not handled properly rather than describing it as something that “could be done better”, which the commenter felt sounded like a humble way of excusing failure.
Calls for Greater Vigilance and Protection
Some users urged that greater attention be given to children from families with a history of drug abuse, noting that such environments often heighten the risk of neglect and violence.
“I think the child should be sent to foster care immediately if the authorities discover drug-abusing parents. Humans are getting scarier than before,” one comment read.
Another user suggested that the relevant agencies set up a specific care unit for families with members struggling with drug abuse.
Demand for Accountability
Many netizens called for those responsible for lapses in Megan’s case to be held accountable.
“Those who failed in their duties must be taken to task and punished accordingly. It was not merely a case of misunderstanding or lack of communication. It was gross negligence,” one commenter wrote.
Hope for Reform and Change
Despite their anger and grief, some users expressed hope that the review panel’s findings would lead to meaningful reforms to prevent similar tragedies from occurring again.
“At this stage, we can only hope the agencies involved improve their protocols and take swift action in future to prevent such incidents from happening again,” one user commented.
Another user said the tragedy was a painful reminder of how crucial it is for agencies to act swiftly and decisively when a child’s safety is at risk, expressing hope for lasting reforms and noting that no child should ever fall through the cracks again.
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