The Malaysian Insight

FIFTY-TWO babies have been rescued from abandonment in the past year-and-a-half by OrphanCare, more than the baby hatch centre has ever taken in since it was opened in 2008.

Last year, 45 babies were saved, and this year, seven have been rescued so far, said its advocacy and communications officer Riza Alwi.

When asked if the figure had any correlation with the Covid-19 pandemic, OrphanCare did not specifically state so, but said most cases involved lack of finances to care for babies from unplanned pregnancies.

Riza said of the 45 babies rescued last year, 36 of them were handed to OrphanCare, and nine were left at its baby hatches.

There are three baby hatches in Peninsular Malaysia – Petaling Jaya, Johor Baru, and Sg Petani. They operate 24 hours with a social worker always on standby.

The baby hatch is equipped with a sensor that can detect when a baby is placed inside it.

OrphanCare, founded by the late Adnan Mohd Tahir, aims to have all the babies it rescues adopted by families.

Riza said most of the mothers who gave up their babies are young women, some of them university students. Most of the women are from middle-income families.

“Most of the time, these young women find out they’re pregnant at the very last minute and are usually in fear and embarrassed of what their families might think or do,” she said.

The fear of social stigma at having a baby out-of-wedlock is also a driving factor in giving up their babies.

“Sometimes, it is the family members themselves who come to the centre with the mother to give up the child for adoption due to fear of social stigma and embarrassment in the community,” Riza said.

“Some of these girls lack awareness on how to have protected sex and what they can do to avoid getting pregnant,” she said.

Sometimes the unwanted pregnancies are also a result of rape, she added.

“These girls follow their boyfriends somewhere and then they end up being forced into sex, but they cannot tell their families or police because they would then be asked, ‘why did you follow your boyfriend?’” Riza said.

She said this was a harmful cycle of victim-blaming that can push young mothers into desperate situations to get rid of their babies.

Riza said the babies that are given to OrphanCare are usually newborns or a few months’ old and are usually adopted within a week or so.

However, the process is not easy, she said.  

First, a background check on the potential adoptive parents’ homes and socio-economic background is done by the centre’s social workers.

The potential adoptive parents would then be guided on how to apply for adoption through the Social Welfare Department and OrphanCare.

There have also been cases where the mothers decide to keep their baby after going through counselling and a mediation process among family members.

For mothers who give up their babies for adoption, OrphanCare allows a line of communication between the mother and adoptive parents.

“Sometimes we even have birthday gatherings at the centre and the mother is invited by the adoptive parents,” she said.

Since its foundation in 2008, OrphanCare has saved more than 444 babies. Of this, 272 were fostered, 159 taken back by their mothers and 13 referred to the Social Welfare Department.

Riza said she is thankful to mothers who have not abandoned their child elsewhere and instead have turned to OrphanCare to give their babies a chance for a better home.

But she said there must be more emphasis on educating young people how to have safe relationships and what to do if they’re put in an unwanted situation such as an unplanned pregnancy.

“When we talk about social education, people think we are trying to encourage young people to have sex, but we are not,” she said.

She also noted society’s hypocrisy on the acceptance of out-of-wedlock babies.

“When an unwed woman gets pregnant and gives birth, remarks with negative connotations are made, such as ‘anak haram’ (illegal child), by the mother’s community and family.

“Whereas when that same baby is given to adoptive parents, they consider it as ‘anak syurga’ (a baby from heaven).” – July 7, 2021.