By Balkish Awang
Baby dumping in the country is still rife among youths despite initiatives to address the social illness.
OrphanCare Foundation has launched public awareness campaigns on the social menace, driving home the point that the issue should not be taken lightly. Since 2010, the non-governmental organisation (NGO) has set up ‘baby hatches’ to save innocent infants from being dumped by the perpetrators.
Here, Bernama journalist, BalkishAwang delves into the role of the foundation that is committed to ensuring the baby is protected and will be able to lead a normal life with his or her foster parents.
KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama) – At a baby hatch managed by OrphanCare Foundation, mothers can place their babies, usually newborn, inside and leave them anonymously to be found and cared for.
The hatch has a small door which a mother can open and place her baby on an incubator bed. Once the door is closed an alarm bell will alert the non-governmental organisation (NGO)'s caregiver to the baby's presence, after the mother has left.
The baby hatch, which provides refuge for unwed mothers as well as a safe haven for dumped babies, is available at all times. There are rooms inside with a caregiver who is on-watch round the clock.
OrphanCare’s baby hatches follow a German system. They are air-conditioned and have a 24-hour closed circuit television (CCTV) inside the hatch that notifies the caretaker when a baby is left in the hatch. The camera does not identify the mother.
The next step is for OrphanCare staff to take the baby to the hospital for medical check-up and follow-up treatment to ensure the infant is healthy and in stable condition.
BABY LEFT WITH HEARTBREAKING NOTE
For staff of OrphanCare, which had its beginnings in 2008, the moments of despair as the unwanted babies were left without their maternal mothers in the baby hatch, were truly heartbreaking scenes.
Sharing her own experience, OrphanCare Foundation Advocacy, Communications & Fundraising Manager, Riza Alwi cited a case of a blood-soaked newborn baby with the umbilical cord still attached and wrapped with a batik cloth, being left in the baby box.
In another case, a baby was also placed at the centre, well-clothed along with a bagpack full of milk powder.
Images captured through the CCTV at the hatch also showed the last moments of a young man kissing a baby several times, before giving up the infant.
In another incident, a baby was left with a heartbreaking note from a desperate mother who said, “I have just delivered my baby two days ago, please take care of him”, “My baby’s name is Muhamad Amir, I have breastfed him and have taken him to see a doctor” and “Please take care of this baby and hand him over to a Muslim family”.
She said that by leaving some information in the note, the centre will be able to determine the baby’s ethnicity, whether Muslim or non-Muslim. There were also babies who were left at the hatch with a note in Mandarin and Tamil.
“From there, we will have some background on the baby. However, if no information is available, including its documents, the baby’s religious status will automatically be Islam,” she said in an exclusive interview with Bernama at the foundation located in Petaling Jaya recently.
According to Riza, information on the next of kin is crucial as newborn babies must be immediately registered to ensure that they do not face problems with attaining automatic citizenship for the child.
"Without information, it would be difficult and the baby will be ineligible to apply for citizenship. At least, leave a phone number to be contacted. Leaving a baby at the baby hatch is not an offence and no legal action will be taken against the unwed mother. What we are asking for is just leave some information to facilitate the process for the baby and consider the baby’s future,” she said, adding that most of the perpetrators left their babies either at night or early morning, possibly to avoid from being caught in the act.
BABIES ARE NOT KEPT AT ORPHANCARE
Many have wrong perceptions about the baby hatch and assume that OrphanCare will keep the baby once the infant is placed under its care. They are mistaken as these babies will immediately be saved and taken to the hospital.
While she agrees that many do not fully understand the functions of the baby hatch, Riza said, after the baby is taken to the hospital, OrphanCare will follow-up by contacting foster parents who are on the waiting list.
“The baby will be under close supervision and proper care at the hospital including feeding. Under the normal practice, the baby will be there for a few days to ensure the child is really healthy, no HIV. When the baby is given the clean bill of health, we will get in touch with the foster parents. The foster parents will be able to visit the baby at the hospital,” she said.
The process of handing over the baby to the foster parents takes only between seven to 10 days. Once the documentation process is completed, the foster parents can take the baby home.
According to Riza, in addition to the baby hatch, there are two ways in which the baby is saved: the pregnant mother goes directly to the centre after giving birth to her baby; secondly, the mother gives up her baby to the baby for adoption through OrphanCare.
DON’T BE AFRAID
In hindsight, the blame should not rest fully on the woman or the young unwed mother as both are also going through some dark episodes in their life, causing them to be pregnant out of wedlock, including delivering the baby without parental knowledge or the community.
"Many thought these young women are wayward, highly sexed, etc. In actual fact, they are not. Many are well-behaved, but have become victims of rape, incest among siblings and victims of circumstances; no doubt, some made mistakes,” she said.
Riza said although the baby hatch has been in operation since 2010, there are still many who are not aware of its existence and there are still those who are afraid of keeping their baby at the centre.
“Many are afraid to bring their baby here as they thought they will be arrested. Placing the baby at the baby hatch is not a crime. Placing the baby in the baby box means that you have come to seek help from us,” she said, adding that, most individuals who placed their baby in the baby hatch were those who were in dire straits and in a state of panic.
OrphanCare, she said, provides the baby hatch service as one of the efforts to reduce the number of babies dumped in unsafe places.
“We believe no child should be dumped or denied the love and care of a family.
Based on the scenario of babies found, they will be brought to welfare homes and we can’t take them as police reports have already been lodged. When placed at welfare homes such as orphanage, the child will grow up at these places without any identity and next of kin, meaning they become reclusive, cut off from the outside world.
“Once they reach 18 years of age, they have to leave the orphanage. Without family, education and having spent all their years at the orphanage, this group will not be family-friendly. That’s the reason why most of them end up becoming prostitutes, drug addicts and living under the bridge as they do not have any family. There are some who follow their seniors; if the senior sells drugs, the junior will take the same route.
Hence, as a proactive measure, OrphanCare has provided a baby hatch for these young unwed women to deliver their babies safely, hence saving innocent lives.
“We discourage women, especially young unwed mothers from dumping their babies in unsafe places. Leave the baby here (baby hatch),” she added.
COLLABORATION WITH PDRM, JKM
To save these babies, Riza said OrphanCare hopes to continue its collaboration with the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and the Social Welfare Department (JKM).
"So far, our collaboration with PDRM is only through police reports especially when a baby is placed here for the adoption process. If a baby is found, PDRM can contact OrphanCare and the baby will not be directly sent to the orphanage or charitable institution.
“At least when the baby is handed over to us (OrphanCare), the child will be able to grow up with his or her foster parents,” she added.
She said that to date, OrphanCare has saved 461 babies. For this year alone, the NGO has of last month, received six babies including at its branches in Johor Bahru and Sungai Petani, Kedah.
Riza said the foundation is always ready to work together with JKM at each state in baby dumping cases.
“We are not in the race to see who saved more babies but we would like cooperate with JKM, especially when a baby is found. JKM can either contact us or directly to our foster parents. Our foster parents at this centre also go through the JKM process.
FOSTER PARENTS
Meanwhile, Project Administrator at OrphanCare Foundation, Nur Azim Alia Mohamed Noor said, foster parents on its list, have to go through several processes, such as interview, attend Prospective Adoptive Parents Training and house inspection.
"Here, the foster parents will be provided with psychology courses as well as proper training of their adopted child including certain knowledge that they must possess.
“Foster parents here are caring and they will not break the bonds between the mother and child except for cases when the former no longer wants to see her child (non-baby hatch cases).
According to Nur Azim Alia, foster parents who accept babies from the baby hatch are prepared with the situation and understand that the baby was born without any next of kin or ethnicity.
On the foster parenting criteria, she said they are similar to requirements set by JKM, including those who have been married for more than five years, a medical history related to pregnancy issues, salary of more than RM5,000, no criminal record, Malaysian citizens and reside at safe locations.
OrphanCare Foundation to date has three branches with baby hatch, namely in Petaling Jaya Selangor), Johor Bahru (Johor) and Sungai Petani (Kedah).
For further details on OrphanCare, please contact: tel no: 03 - 7770 1900 / 010 - 283 0528 (24 hour emergency number) or visit its website at www.orphancare.org.my.
Translated by Salbiah Said
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