This week’s SoroptiVoice blog comes from Helena Cheah from Malaysia. Here she talks about the Malaysian response to unwanted babies and the emergence of the ‘baby hatch’ as an alternative to baby ‘dumping’.

Many countries have strict laws concerning sexual morality and enforced segregation of
unmarried men and women. Sex outside marriage is forbidden, and the issue of unwanted babies is therefore not addressed as it is not a problem which is recognised.

However, it is a problem – often driven underground by strict laws and stigma. In Malaysia alone, there are scores
of babies abandoned every year. Left in secluded public places, like toilets
and rubbish dumps, presumably in the hope  that a kind stranger
will find the child and ensure its well being. The incidence of abandoned
babies is reported to be about 100 cases a year. However, the actual number of
babies that are abandoned is not really known and it is estimated to be higher
than that. Reported cases may be just the
tip of the iceberg, with a large proportion of ‘hidden’ cases where the
babies are given up for adoption on the black market and are not protected by the legal processes of adoption.

Sadly, many
abandoned babies in Malaysia die of dehydration/exposure before they can be found. Unwed mothers or victims of rape come under intense pressure arising from social stigma and fear of punishment, compounded by a sense of hopelessness due to not knowing whom to
turn to. The only option appears as such: give birth in secret and then dump the baby
somewhere and trust that the baby will be found.

Reactions to the
dumping of babies range from the introduction of sex education in
schools to calls for stiffer penalties and the setting up of the country’s
“baby hatches”, where infants can be left without questions asked.  One state government offers financial support
for young teenagers to marry, angering women’s groups that have been
campaigning against child marriages. In Malaysia, Muslim girls under 16
and boys under 18 may marry with permission from a Shariah Court. Non-Muslims must be at
least 18, unless they have permission from their state’s chief minister, in
which case they may also be as young as 16.

Current efforts
are focused on education and logistical support. In Malacca, a boarding school
was established (“School of Hope”) for pregnant girls
regardless of their marital status or religion. This school teaches parenting
skills as well as the standard curriculum. Regular Malaysian schools discourage
pregnant girls attending school. These students spend about 40 minutes twice a month
on “Reproductive Health and Social Education”. The lessons emphasise abstinence
before marriage, and provide knowledge on contraception and sexually
transmitted diseases.

The government,
realising the seriousness of the situation, operates four shelters for
unmarried girls under 18 years of age and two for 18 and above,   where free
food and lodging are provided. The country also maintains 60 welfare centers offering
assistance to unwed mothers and their babies. However, the
government’s response failed to impress advocates like Ms Josiah of the Women’s
Aid Organization. While she welcomed the greater focus on sex education, she
deplored the attempts to encourage young teenagers to marry and said punitive
measures, like charging mothers with murder if the abandoned babies died, would
not address the problem of child abandonment, but would drive the problem deeper
underground.

To increase the
chance of survival of abandoned babies, Malaysia’s “baby hatch” was established. This is a place
where mothers can leave their babies. The hatch,
based on a design in use in Germany and Japan, features an alarm that activates
when a baby is placed inside. It is managed by OrphanCare which works with
other government departments, NGOs, the media and members of public to reduce
the number of such cases in Malaysia

This is how it works…

The mother
leaves the baby inside the air-conditioned baby hatch.  If she signs the
consent form, found on the inside of the hatch door, it means that the adoption process of the baby can proceed
immediately. Not signing the consent form triggers a police report and
investigation which slows the adoption process.  Once the hatch is closed, it becomes locked (so that no-one
else can steal the baby), and an alarm sounds inside so the centre staff can get the baby. The baby is visible on the
television monitor at all times.  If the mother should
change her mind, an intercom is available for her to talk to the centre staff.

It is hoped that
there will be a reduction in the number of babies abandoned in unsafe places. It
has the support of the Ministry of Women, Family & Community Development.
Its aim is to discourage women, especially young unwed mothers who have nowhere
to turn to in desperate circumstances, from abandoning their babies in unsafe places by providing non-judgemental shelter and future homes for their babies.

The
public have generally been supportive of the OrphanCare facility although there are those who oppose the service arguing that this
facility will encourage "illicit sex"!  The OrphanCare
baby hatch does not address the problem of unprotected sex, nor does it aim to, but it surely provides a better option for these vulnerable mothers than having to dump their new-born babies. 

 Who could argue
against that?

  Visit: www.orphancare.org.my for more information.