‘One baby worth all the effort’

PETALING JAYA, Nov 3 — OrphanCare Malaysia Foundation revealed yesterday that Malaysia’s first baby hatch here had saved 207 babies since it opened in 2010, refuting claims the project was a failure.

One of its trustees, Noraini Hashim, said the organisation had gone beyond just operating the baby hatch in its mission to stop baby dumping.

“We went one step further by educating students on the problem,” she said.

The programme, called “Family Safety is Everyone’s Responsibility”, was to inculcate awareness about family values and reproductive health among teens.

Noraini was responding to a claim by Human Rights Commission of Malaysia commissioner James Deva Nayagam that the baby hatch project was a flop.

“We disagree with Nayagam and consider saving just one baby’s life through our baby hatch as an unqualified success, worthy of all the time and effort,” she told Malay Mail.

Noraini said the organisation was disappointed that negativity and pessimism came from someone who was “also in the same business of protecting human rights, especially women and children”.

“We recognise the limitations of baby hatches in eliminating this scourge of society altogether, but being just passive observers or worse, armchair critics, do little for the voiceless abandoned babies,” she said.

Noraini said out of the 207 babies, the foundation had facilitated the adoption of 126 babies and counselled 81 mothers to raise their babies instead of giving them up for adoption.

“You’ll be surprised that most of them came with their partners or families. Only a few came only with their babies. For those who wanted to give the baby up for adoption, we got the necessary documents so that a birth certificate could be obtained.”

Noraini said the priority was to ensure the baby had a family and they had in-house counsellors to talk to parents on the pros and cons of giving up their baby for adoption.

Noraini said they had also cared for girls with unwanted pregnancies until they gave birth and assisted in their babies’ adoption.

The foundation also signed an agreement last year with private healthcare chain, KPJ Healthcare Berhad, to set up baby hatches in eight of their hospitals nationwide, including in East Malaysia.

“The scale and scope of the problem need a holistic solution. That is why we reach out to students,” said Noraini, adding that the foundation has branches in Johor Baru and Sungai Petani.

Noraini said the programme was held in 24 locations nationwide and it was funded by the National Family Planning Board.

“The talks were conducted by our younger staff members who made the sessions interactive. The children were asking questions about the birds and the bees that they might be shy to ask other people.”

She said about 1,600 children participated in the programme from April last year until this March.

“They learnt to say ‘no’ when a guy coaxes them to have sex and they are also taught not to force another person to have sex. We also told them the importance of self-respect,” she said.

Malay Mail had reported yesterday one baby was found abandoned every four days. This is according to a study conducted by Monash University psychiatrist and senior lecturer, Dr Salmi Razali.