Bintulu Member of Parliament Dato' Seri Tiong King Sing said the efforts could include organisations of seminars or workshops aimed to highlight public members on current social problems.

"Our society have been undergoing numerous changes and special concerns should be given to the younger age groups who were under threat of being manipulated by irresponsible adults," he said.

Speaking during a Chinese New Year celebration dinner organised by the Vui Neng Association here over the weekend, Tiong said Bintulu youngsters were no exception as far as being under such threats.

Lately, he learnt from complaints received by his People's Service Centre that some schoolgirls were lured into committing immoral activities by irresponsible people to earn extra cash.

Soon after being sent by their parents to school, Tiong said the girls instead of proceeding straight to their classrooms would be picked up by men who would then introduced them to "prospective clients."

Based on information that he received, the girls would receive RM500 for first service and RM300 for subsequent services.

Saddened by this, Tiong said some youngsters nowadays were inclined to be materialistic and willing to jeopardize their future merely to earn in short term.

He believed the situation had been due to lack of efforts to nurture moral values in families who placed material gains as the sole thing to be achieved and moral development was the least to be considered.

It had become apparent that good family values were also deteriorating and Tiong based this remarks from his own observation where elderly parents were being abandoned by their children.

That was not a good trend to follow as he felt that as a society with strong tradition of respects, parents should always be respected by their children regardless of when and where.

"Surely, when the children grew up and started their own family, they would not want their offsprings to abandon them when they got old.

"It is not enough by just giving them money and ignore them (the parents). They need attention from their children and it is the duty of the children to do so," he added.