Cradles for abandoned children

Baby throwing or baby abandonment is an inhumane act committed by parents who don’t want a newborn child and expose the him to isolated places such as dumping sites, garbage sites, water bodies, remote roads etc leaving such a child to sexual and physical abuse. Such unwanted children suffer injuries, infections, shock, rat and dog bites, fractures, bruises and high mortality rates leaving them dead within a week. Newborn babies suffering from autism, disability, Down syndromes, preterm birth complications, children born out of wedlock, aborted children etc. The entire baby abandonment and its cruel environment emanate from unwanted baby birth and unintended pregnancy.

Right to Information revelation:

Kashmir is witnessing rise in the cases of baby throwing. I filed an RTI application seeking information of abandoned children recovered and cared for by LD Hospital and Children Hospital from the year 2010 till August 2023. In reply, LD Hospital submitted 52 babies were recovered and cared for, of which 45 babies were adopted and 7 babies passed away. Children Hospital Srinagar submitted a total number of 29 babies that were located, cared for and recovered. According to a report by Greater Kashmir published on 17th November 2022; ‘At least 11 newborn babies were abandoned at the Child Welfare Center at Nowgam, of which seven cases were from LD Hospital’. Syeda Afshana in her weekly column published in GK dated 19th November 2023 has rightly argued, ‘such estimates are conservative as not all cases of infant abandonment are reported’.

Campaigning for installation of Cradles:

After holding consultations with policemen, members of the child welfare committee, pediatricians, and parents of children suffering from multiple disabilities, down syndrome and autism, I wrote to Commissioner Secretary Social Welfare Department J&K Ms. Sheetal Nanda, regarding the peril of baby-throwing across JK and suggested installing cradles across garbage sites, dumping sites, public hospitals, marriage halls, mosques, dispensaries, police stations, water bodies.

In response to the suggestion, the Social Welfare Department forwarded the representation to the Directorate of Mission Vatsalya erstwhile known as Child Protection Services and the said public office directed all the district child protection officers of Jammu and Kashmir to set up cradles and signage across district hospitals. Within a span of a few months, cradles and signage were installed across the district hospitals of Ramban, Bandipora, and Jammu and the rest of the district hospitals have initiated the process of setting up cradles through the State Adoption Resource Agency.

In addition to this, Office of District Child Protection Officer Srinagar have directed the Medical Superintendent LD Hospital, JLNM Rainawari, SKIMS, JVC and Children Hospital Bemina Srinagar to set up cradles and signages outside of their hospitals and some of the hospitals have already setup cradles. Across the world, Cradles are set up by private and public organizations to prevent baby abandonment and such a step has achieved positive results in safe surrendering of children by unwanted parents leading to a reduction in child fatalities. A similar contention was put forth before Commissioner Srinagar Municipal Corporation through numerous correspondences as garbage, and dumping sites fall under Municipal Corporations and Committees and the role of ward officers, sanitation, and health officers is required to install and oversee cradles. However, the response from the Commissioner's office has been indolent. Notwithstanding that the Social Welfare Department is leaving no stone unturned to set up cradles on a war footing across all the twenty districts of J&K.

Mitigating adoption crises:

As per the Central Adoption Resource Authority Government of India, ‘there are 29.6 million stranded, orphaned and abandoned children in India, out of which, 4,000 get adopted annually’. Besides, the infertility crisis in India is making couples desperate to spend thousands and lakhs of rupees on IVF treatment and the situation in Kashmir is no different. Kashmir is seeing mushroom growth of IVF clinics and treatments owing to infertility crises and as per The National Family Health Survey 2019-21 total fertility rate (TFR) is lowest in Kashmir compared to other states of India. Such is a predicament of human society, thousands of childless couples are longing for a child and thousands of newborn children are thrown into dustbins.

There are two advantages to cradle setup, one is covering the hazard of baby throwing or abandonment across vulnerable sites, and another is facilitating the safe surrendering of babies for parents who choose to leave newborns for adoption. According to a report by Greater Kashmir published on 17th November 2022, 'at least 11 newborn babies were abandoned at the Child Welfare Center at Nowgam, of which seven cases were from LD Hospital'.

Rights of the newborns:

As per Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, 'No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law'.

Newborns or infants are worthy of a decent burial in a grave or cemetery and not in dustbins or manholes. These souls merit a dignified burial which is part of their fundamental right under Article 21 and the rescued ones have the right to life with dignity and security. Hon’ble Supreme Court in numerous Judgments has expanded the right of dignified burial by observing, 'right to live a dignified life is not available to a living person but also to the dead. Even a dead person has the right of treatment to his body with respect and dignity which he would have deserved had he been alive, subject to his tradition, culture, and religion. The dignity of the dead people ought to be preserved and honoured as per the appropriate religious customs and regulations'.

The way forward:

In a Muslim society voicing for cradle installations may attract ostracizing reactions from the general public owing to religious sentiments against abortion. One has respect for such reservations but we can’t avoid toddlers' deaths and not all social welfare steps are promoting adultery and promiscuity. We have to inform the general masses particularly young adults and couples regarding the safe surrender of toddlers over infant abandonments.

Those voiceless innocent souls are beholden to the Social Welfare Department, Directorate of Mission Vatsalya, and District Child Protection Officers especially DCPO Srinagar for initiating institutional action in setting up cradles across all the districts of Jammu and Kashmir. I would urge the Directorate of Health, Housing and Urban Development Department through Municipal Corporations and Committees, and J&K Police for collaborative work against this perilousness as biological parents don’t want them, they try to kill them. Collectively we have to father and mother newborn infants as they belong to all of us and the responsibility lies with the state and its citizens to rescue and bring them up.

Badrul Duja, a practicing advocate and RTI activist based in Srinagar