A viral video on social media platform Facebook has shown an autistic man, who was caught on camera while masturbating on an MRT train while looking at a girl. The footage definitely affected the family of the man in his early 20-year-old, but the social media users have shown the empathy towards such disabled people as well as the affected families.
The mother of the man, including his family, was shocked to see the viral video that showed the autistic man inside the train. It was posted on September 16 but on Friday night it was taken down by the uploader, who was bashed by the aunt of the disabled man. But, till then the video was shared more than 850 times.
In reply to the posted video, the aunt of the man wrote, "You have just hurt the heart of a mother... This society would be a... better place if we could stop judging and start caring, stop seeking to be understood and start trying to understand."
She tried to contact her sister-in-law, the mother of the autistic man to talk to her about the widespread video but the mother was too heartbroken that she could not even speak. The aunt also wrote on social media that his nephew, who has above average memory, attended a mainstream secondary school, currently working with a private firm and has to travel long hours to get in his workplace. Her post drew the attention of several people including Member of Parliament Denise Phua.
Several organizations, which works with such disabilities, have advised individuals to refrain from taking videos and posting them online.
As reported by Todayonline, Dr Lam Chee Meng, principal autism consultant at the Autism Resource Centre, said, "It is best to report to the public transport staff, especially if you are not sure if the person has special needs."
He also stated, "What is not safe and (is) inappropriate to do is to video the act and circulate it on social media. If a member of the public takes a video, it should be for the purpose of handing it to the authorities."
In addition, Sally May Tan, the chief executive officer of the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (Minds), said that the public should show the empathy instead of posting and sharing such videos to secure the dignity of the person and the family members.
Tan said that there could be any reason, but biological and sensory predispositions or an anxiety could cause such behaviour. She added, "Even though sexuality is a universal human trait, the sexual expression on the part of people with disabilities can provoke strong negative reactions, even among their own family members."
Tan asked the family members to work collaboratively with the school or professional to set the "learning goals, and also reinforce the learning that is imparted in the school or training centre. This allows sexuality education to be delivered in a way that is systemic, holistic, sustained and consistent."
A Facebook user, Deeana Ashburn is one of those people who showed her support after watching the video and said, "my heart and love goes to the family affected. You are not alone in this journey."
