http://www.sundaynews.co.zw/index.php?option=com_content&id=34617:baby-dumpingsociety-should-take-the-blame-&Itemid=134#.

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Sunday News: Baby dumping: society should take the blame

Saturday, 06 April 2013 17:58 SOMETIME in February Sunday News published a story of a foetus that was found under the seat of a commuter omnibus. The discovery of the foetus, which was in a plastic bag, predictably sent shock waves throughout the country because baby dumping is a horrific act. Yet its not just this single grizzly act of infanticide that scandalises Zimba bwe, but rather the uncomfortable fact that its just the latest case in a baby-dumping scourge that has plagued the country since independence. In 2009, the Harare City Council revealed shocking statistics that at least 20 new-born babies and foetuses were dumped in Harares sewer system every week. Add other cities and towns and the number of baby dumping cases runs into hundreds. Everyday there are several numbers of infants being found in dustbins, toilets, bridges, rivers and other unimaginable places. The nature of the narrative following the discovery of the foetus in the bus was expected and has been set for some time. Each time a baby dumping story is published in the newspaper, it is met with indignation. Policy makers issue predictable statements condemning the act. We are told that the Government and police are going to end baby dumping, which without doubt is a thorn in flesh of our society. We are reminded that it is illegal in our country. The debate about baby dumping is no longer a debate. It is now a lecture. It has become skewed and unreasonable. It is best to resist. At times, though, resistance is futile. Such a time was the time the story of the latest baby dumping incident made headlines. Because the baby dumping incident had a new twist the foetus was under the seat of an omnibus that was the news. The person who dumped the baby is unknown and by deciding to be audacious enough to do the dumping in a public transport she had lost control and lost the plot. But whoever she is, she is not the only one who lost her marbles that time. The media became excited, instead of condemning the act, it zeroed in on the foetus under the seat because such bizarre incidents sell papers. This is unfortunate, because instead of raising the alarm on baby dumping, it dilutes the fact that baby dumping cases are escalating. It betrays the grave reality and undermines the value placed by society on the most marvelous part of nature babies. If those of us who had the privilege of being born compare notes with those denied this awesome gift of birth, we would take more concerted action to prevent deliberate baby dumping. Baby dumping is a form of genocide, genocide in the most grandiose terms. Those who decided and who decide that nursing a child is not compulsory are without doubt mass murderers. They are called mass murderers because, though no statistics are available, the undocumented fact is that thousands of babies lose their lives by being thrown away like garbage. They may argue that they do so to protect the babies from a miserable life but that does not take away the fact that the dumped baby is human and has rights.

By definition baby dumping refers to the discarding or abandoning for an extended period of time, a child under 12 months in a public or private setting with the intent to dispose of the baby. But what causes mothers to dump their babies? According to Mr Romeo Dube, a sociologist, most women, teenagers in most cases, dump their babies when they conceive them outside wedlock, when the man denies responsibility, when they feel they are not ready to be mothers and when society frowns upon the nature of how the baby came about. The baby dumping issue arises when the woman has an unplanned pregnancy and been pressured by the question about the status of the child. Beside they may feel that they are not yet ready to be mothers. Due to our tradition, young women fear rejection by their parents and the community if they are found to have had a baby outside of marriage. This tradition absolutely increases the cases of baby dumping. Pregnant women that are rejected by their boyfriends, who may even deny being in any relationship with the woman and the child may then dump the baby because she fears that she will be unable to look after the child alone, or to afford the childs maintenance, said Mr Dube. Baby dumping is a sign of the breakdown in family ties and is proof that people are now selfcentred and place their rights above others. It is the ultimate in selfishness. It puts the mothers convenience and desires above the life of her own baby. To dump the baby it means to consider oneself more important than anyone else. While it is easy to blame women for dumping their babies it must be acknowledged that society is also to blame women just like their babies are victims of a ruthless society. Why these women do what they do, although thoroughly sickening, is quite understandable, society leaves them with no other option. An unwed mother is the black sheep of the family and society treats her like a social leper. Unwanted, rejected, frowned upon and reviled by many, an unwed mother opts to dump the baby for society to accept her again. The unforgiving condemnation by parents or guardians and society can make a woman ruthless. It is this fear of taking care of the child alone, of being seen as an embarrassment that makes abortion an option for many women, said Mrs Samantha Moyo, a marriage counsellor. A teacher who requested not to be named believes that cultural stigma that emphasises abstinence is the main reason why pregnant girls are so eager to hide their pregnancy. What they are doing is against the value of the family. It is a mistake. They become desperate; they do not have the right person who can help them find the solution. By the time they start thinking, the baby will be already born. That is the reason why they would rather take the risk than to be rejected by family. Most Zimbabweans are of Christian religions that condemn sex before marriage, but in those religions throwing away a baby is worse. So I think throwing a baby is not caused by a religious factor but cultural factor, he said.

The teacher said the societys tendency to blame pregnancy on women rather than men could also be a contributing factor to the rising cases of abandoned babies. The woman has to make the decision alone, and they do not have anyone to turn to and the man by then is not there anymore. To them, it is their fault because they are pregnant. The man does not want to get married. Rejection by the man and the embarrassment of having an unwanted baby is a factor in baby dumping. If the man stays and is willing to get married, I do not think women will throw away their babies, said the teacher. Baby dumping has reduced humans to levels below those of animals because animals do not abandon their offspring. People are the only ones who abandon young ones. In this society of self esteem, personal accomplishments, and empowerment, the love of life is losing out and selfishness is winning. Mr Dube said: Baby dumping sends a message that life is not valuable, and that humans can do as they please with it. How long will it be before people decide that the rejection of the elderly and sick people is justifiable because they are a burden that they can do without just like unwanted babies? It is a fact, though some might want to deny, that the majority of baby dumping acts are for convenience. In most cases baby dumping is done just because someone does not want the child. The social stigma attached to premarital pregnancies forces women especially teenagers to conceal and abandon babies, leading to horrifying deaths. As long as society refuses to accept reality, baby dumping will continue to be a social scourge in our country. Society needs to accept that premarital sex and teenage pregnancies are inevitable despite strict family, cultural and religious values. Parents and society have to be more open and supportive to help girls manage their pregnancies. This should not be viewed as condoning premarital sex. There is indeed a need for a change of mindset, said Mrs Moyo. There is need for a solution to end baby dumping once and for all. Arresting the perpetrators is an option but it only cures the symptoms not the disease. What is needed is a national change in attitude. But changing that attitude will require more than the baby dumping is illegal gospel. It will require public figures such as politicians, musicians, actors, civic leaders and indeed the media to get on stage and preach the anti-dumping sermon till their voices give out. Money should also be spent on assisting single mothers to raise their children. Contrary to the argument that this will result in the increase of pregnancies and encourage women to opt for single parenting, it will make them appreciate life. The appreciation and respect of life will see pregnant women not considering dumping their babies just because the father has bolted for the hills.

There are many possible solutions to baby dumping but it is hard to find the perfect solution that everyone agrees on, but it is about time society stops telling young people what not to do, and instead educate them on how to make the right choices The issue of baby dumping has to be addressed by society. Society is responsible for its children and it has to bear the consequences of their acts. It has to take the blame when young girls, who are faced with no other alternative, resort to such foolish acts.

http://www.ijtef.org/papers/174-T10013.pdf - The Voice of Youngsters on Baby Dumping Issues in Malaysia

http://www.mole.my/content/baby-dumping-lust-and-morality Baby-dumping: Lust and morality Wednesday, December 14, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR: Political activist Hishamuddin Rais highlighted in his blog an article he'd written entitled "Lust and Morality", in which he lamented the baby-dumping epidemic in this country. In the article, he said that he was shocked and saddened the first time he read about the case of a dead, abandoned baby in the news, but even more shocked when the cases kept on coming.To highlight what he called "a manifestation of social illness in the Malay community", Hishamuddin contrasted Malaysians' reaction to baby-dumping cases with the reaction in Britain to the 1993 murder of two-year-oldJames Bulger by two ten-year-old boys in Merseyside."When news of this tragedy appeared in the media, it wasnt just the British who were shocked, but all of Europe," he said. "From Stockholm to Sardinia, Europeans were wondering: whats happened to the British society? Where did they go wrong? What caused this tragedy?""What impressed me then," he continued, "was how this tragedy called for all members of the community to give their views and opinions. Sociology professors, academics, religious leaders, social workers, politicians, community leaders, mothers and fathers they all discussed the tragedy of Jimies death. The death of one small child opened the eyes of every citizen of Britain. I repeat only one death opened the eyes of the entire country. In Malaysia, he said, there are many tragic deaths but a different reaction from society. "From 2000-2006 a total of 580 babies were dumped," he said. "From the beginning of this year up to August a total of 73 babies were dumped. Some were found next to garbage bins, in garbage bins, buried in bushes, and some were found in abandoned houses. A total of 29 of those babies who were abandoned were found alive, while 44 were found dead. These are official figures from the police themselves."The people dumping those babies, he said, are Malay, and therefore Muslim; because of that the first people to speak up are religious authorities, who Hishamuddin called "religious bureaucrats"."These religious bureaucrats only speak up to convey moral arguments," he said. "Hellfire is promised to those who abandon innocent children."He continued: "These religious bureaucrats use hellfire, sin and reward as arguments in their efforts to suppress sexual desire in young people. I reject these moral arguments. The moral arguments peddled by religious bureaucrats have been proven to

have no meaning whatsoever to boys whose testosterone is peaking."Hishamuddin said that the high number of babies born out of wedlock -- and the number of such babies that are abandoned -- shows that moral arguments have failed."Try to picture 580 dead, abandoned babies," he said. "This number is equal to a battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment. Try to picture the 73 babies dumped this year. This number is equal to two Standard One classes at Sekolah Kebangsaan Bangsar."He said that Malays should reject the moral arguments of the religious bureaucrats and accept that Malay society is undergoing a profound shift in social structure, brought about by fundamental economic changes."Whereas before the traditional Malays farmed in the villages, there now exists a second generation of Malays who live and work in the city," He said."This change in social structure thats been brought on by the economy has also opened up new relationships between members of society," he added. "In the old days bachelors and young girls only met when there was a social gathering. The idea of girls being kept in seclusion until their wedding day is now a thing of the past. Nowadays young men and women meet day and night." "I dont reject the role of religious authorities," he said, "but its clear that the moral approach has failed. I also dont doubt that the religious authorities are well-intentioned, honest and sincere. But what we need here is not good intentions or honesty. Good intentions alone will not stop kids from having sex.""Lust among teens cant just be curbed with cold showers or spells. It requires a new approach. Smoke signals as a means of sending information cant beat SMS from a mobile phone.""Therefore, we must dare to look at these abandoned babies as our responsibility. Religious authorities dont have a monopoly on the truth. Politicians must dare to make decisions. Experts from every field must give their views and opinions. Young and old must talk about this issue."

http://www.loyarburok.com/2012/07/31/rise-baby-dumping-malaysia/ THE RISE OF BABY DUMPING IN MALAYSIA 07/07/2012 by TMO in Hafidzi Razali Another of baby dumping furore did little to surprise the socially-maligned Malaysians. Recent statistics prove that its heinous nature made no difference to implant the preventive thought as the numbers kept increasing year by year. A saddening reality to note that as a self-proclaimed Islamic country, baby dumping incidents mostly involve Malaysian Muslims. Islam is a religion that emphasises good moral values, kindness, sympathy and empathy among many others, hence its of nonsensical mismatch for this inhumane social upset to mostly involve its believers especially with the embodiment of Islam in our laws and administration. The pattern of this consistent, continuous strain of incidents is kind of similar, if taken from the context of newspaper reports. Yes, it can be conceded that such can probably be avoided if we all live by the means and boundaries of religion. This line of statement is what leading to the rollercoaster of approaches that concerning parties feel as best to solve this persistent social spiral, i.e, the setting up of special school in Melaka, months-long religious camps by certain States and et cetra.

Among the examples of solutions in their implementation:

BABY HATCH Baby hatch was launched on 30 May 2010 in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.It is built to rescue unwanted newborns, a place where mothers must be allowed to leave their babies without fear of prosecution so that these babies can be cared for.The hatch has a small door which opens to an incubator bed on which mother can place her baby.Once the door is closed, an alarm bell will alert the NGOs staff to the babys presence after the mother left.

PLACES FOR TEENS & PREGNANT MOTHERS

There are several places that give special services to married or unmarried teens who are pregnant, as well as rape victims.They will give special education to let them know on how to handle the situation in the future and to care for their babies.The existing place for these teens are Sekolah Harapan (click here), Baitul Ehsan, Baitul Islah.

CAMPAIGN

Campaign is one of the solutions to raise awareness of this issue to the public. One of the campaigns focus is Kami Prihatin.It was launched on 23 March 2010, aimed to raise awareness among the community on child abuses and abandoned babies. There were several activities that had been organized; such as to promote child protection policy, a documentary and also by publishing community awareness advertisement in Utusan Malaysia.

However, we often forget to indulge in its most fundamental reasons that cause the rising numbers of baby dumping, but rather playing the blame-game to earn the publics attention revolving religion and politics.Sex has always been a taboo subject to be discussed openly by fellow Malaysians. In fact, Id bet that most parents would rather want their children to learn about sex by themselves, of course with the assumption that they will eventually know about sex when the time is right.Essentially, the question remains that when exactly is the right time for teenagers of raging hormones to learn about sex?This huge neglect of responsibility led the naive and curious youngsters to be blinded by the excitement that comes with it. Our faulty impression of physical intimacy as the sole denominator is sex is the common misconception among traditional parents and those shying away, rejecting the idea of sex education in school. Its with this notion that hardliners perceive sex education as an encouragement for teenagers to experiment, as though having zero knowledge about reproductive system and health is better than 16-year olds ending up getting pregnant due to the lack of it.This lack of sex education eventually becomes an unwelcomed surprise, as the turn of events later have it as portrayed in daily news updates. Of course, the same people who rejected the idea of their children getting sex education will be the ones most affected by another innocent life being left in drain, or worse, eaten to death; whom body is found from the dustbins by stray dogs.

But again, do these young parents have a choice?Are they to be blamed for dumping the babies when theres no one who can accept their mistake & give parental advices, rather than blaming?KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 20 Police say a majority of baby-dumping cases involve Malays which observers say is the result of the stigma of illegitimate children and the community being ill-equipped to deal with unwanted pregnancies.Police say 13 out of 65 cases involving the dumping of newborns have resulted in prosecutions. All of the accused were Malays.Which Malaysian Muslim family can accept a baby born out of wedlock and raise the innocent life while guiding the young parents?What are the guarantees of the hardliners to continue trusting & loving their children after menconteng arang di muka keluarga?If I were to be a young dad at the age of 20, am I ready to be thrown out of the family (with no education and money) for having a baby out of wedlock?These are probably the concerns of the hundreds over young women who had to dump their newborn babies, in defence of the unwelcoming or rather lack of family support to go through the phase of their mistake, thats partly the parents fault as well. True, the State is trying its best to fill the gap of faltering family institution, but whats more important is to look beyond alternatives such as Rumah Kebajikan, Rumah Pemulihan Akhlak, or hatchets in hospitals.What happens to the well-beings of these children then? Despite being born out of wedlock, they do not deserve to be isolated from the embrace of family.Hence, parents of these troubled young mums have to do away with the connotation of anak haram (the taboo of having illegitimate child), but to guide their children as well as many others of the same situation that its not the end of the world, and their family members will always be the backbone to provide full support in preventing the same mistake from happening.We must come into a realisation that these young couples resort to dumping their newborn babies as theyre out of options due to the limitation set upon by social circumstances. Hence, the best way to solve the problem is not by providing more sanctuaries for such babies, but to tackle the root of the it.Instead of crying over spilled milk, the right path is to ensure that our future generations do not fall trapped into it anymore. The start of ending this recurrent problem is for the society to change its mindset and approach in dealing with the situation of these rising young parents, rather than dismissing their plight for help and leave the responsibility to the State alone.