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11 new borns babies abandoned in 2013

SANA ALTAF. Dated: 10/29/2013 12:57:13 AM

SRINAGAR, Oct 28: Nearly eleven new born babies have been abandoned in Srinagar from January this year.
In the latest case, a new born baby girl was abandoned at G.B.Pant hospital on October 18.
Four new born babies were found abandoned in the month of January at G.B.Pant. Three day old baby girl was found abandoned near bathroom of G.B.Pant on January 17. On January 28, a baby girl born at Hajni Sumbal was admitted at G.B.Pant for treatment and later abandoned by family. Three babies were abandoned in February at Lal Ded and G.B. Pant hospital.
During the past six months, three babies have been abandoned at Lal Ded hospital.
“New born abandoned at Lal Ded are not born in this hospital. People come from other places and keep them here,” said Dr Mushtaq Rather, medical superintendent, Lal Ded hospital.
Whenever new born babies are abandoned, the authorities at both hospitals take care of them. Police filed case and put the babies up for adoption from interested foster parents. All the babies abandoned so far have been adopted by childless couples from different parts of the valley.
“We take every care of the child. The child is our responsibility till adoption. We feed them, cloth them and treat them if they are unwell,” authorities at G.B.Pant and Lal Ded said.
To check the rising incidents of child abandonment, government installed CCTVs at the hospitals. Though visibly there has been a decline in abandonment of children over past few months, it raises a question on whether the trend is actually declining.
“Installation of CCTVs cannot change our mindset. It can change the approach. It is quite possible that babies once abandoned at Srinagar hospitals have now been deserted at other places,” a senior medical practitioner said.
Zahoor Ahamd Tak, patron, Jammu and Kashmir Yateem Trust(orphanage) told Kashmir Times that the current trend was prevalent many years back too.
“We would get abandoned babies from hospital authorities. Since they were left by their parents, there was no choice but to admit them to orphanages.”
He says that now they have stopped getting such cases after the adoption is sought by police while babies are kept under the care of hospitals. So far 4 to 5 baby girls have been received by Yateem Trust.
Sociologist, Prof B.A Dabla says it is impossible for the trend to stop in such a short span.
“Due to the fear of being caught, people may be avoiding going to these hospitals. But they might be using other places like shrines or district hospital to abandon their children.”
For the menace of baby abandonment, he blamed materialism, gender discrimination and moral degradation.
“Due to materialistic life, people do not want many children. In case of girl child, the fear of dowry forces parents to abandon babies.”
He says Kashmiri society is essentially patriarchal and gives preference to male child.
“Another reason for this is the pre-marital and extra marital relationships,” he said.