Thursday December 16, 2010
More teens taking desperate measures
By RACHAEL KAM
[email protected]
PETALING JAYA: Some teenagers abandon, or even kill their newborn babies to hide their shame or to avoid getting into trouble. The latest statistic by the police force stated that up to Dec 3, 86 babies were reported abandoned.
Last year, 79 babies were abandoned while 102 babies where “thrown away” in 2008. Since 2004, the number of babies being abandoned has been more than 70 every year.
Social Welfare Department director of Children’s Division Nor Amni Yusoff said that many years ago, when the young mothers abandoned their babies, they hoped the babies would be adopted by another family.
“But now, some of them even murder their babies because they do not want to be discovered having babies out of wedlock, and they want to wipe out the evidence,” she told a press conference after giving her talk at a forum on abandonment of babies organised by Suhakam.
Nor Amni said the babies were thrown at residential areas (20.4%) garbage dumpsites (15.8%), roadside (7.4%), mosques (7.4%) and other places (49%).
Suhakam Commissioner James Nayagam said there must be a proper support system to provide a shelter to the teenage mothers. He added the Government should emphasise on DNA testing to identify the fathers of the abandoned babies.
