A HI-TECH “baby safe” that allows parents to dump unwanted infants anonymously has been criticised by child welfare groups in South Africa.
Officials say about 500 babies are abandoned each year in Western Cape province, and that the number is increasing. Some are left for dead on rubbish tips, in refuge bags or at public toilets.
The Baby Save, which opened at a community centre in Cape Town last week, is made of steel, lined with a mattress and blanket and has ventilation. When an infant is placed inside, the safe locks automatically and triggers an alarm at a security company. It also transmits a text message to the mobile phones of three charity workers living nearby.
Kim Ferroli-Highfield, director of the Out of Africa Children’s Fund, said she was shocked last year when she learned how many babies were abandoned. “I went to the police and they said they only find out when a dog is carrying a limb in its mouth. I was quite horrified and thought this is something that needs to be addressed.”
The 52-year-old came up with Baby Save as an alternative. “All I want to do is save the baby,” she said. “I don’t want people to dump babies down drains or uncovered man holes.”
Ms Ferroli-Highfield denied the safe, at Table View, Cape Town, would encourage more parents to dump their children. “If they want to abandon the baby, they’re going to do it. If I can stop one among those 500, then at least I’ve saved one baby’s life. I’ve got four more safes waiting, if that’s what it takes, to stop these babies being murdered.”
The scheme has been described as misguided by children’s welfare groups. Cheryl Pratley, director of Shepherd’s Keep, which also cares for abandoned babies, said: “It would be a traumatic experience for a baby. It’s almost like a box. I’d rather see a baby go to a hospital and be put in someone’s arms than be dropped into a totally inhumane box.
“How will these poor people find this place? They’re not going to spend money on a taxi just after giving birth. They look for somewhere where they think someone will find the baby – a doorstep or bus stop or toilet.”
Megan Bredie, a director of Child Welfare SA, said abandoning a baby creates far more legal problems than giving it up for adoption. “We would rather put out the message that the mother doesn’t have to be scared: it’s not a system where you will be judged and dragged before a court.
"If the baby has to be abandoned, leave it at a hospital or a church. Getting that across has a much bigger impact than one spot – a mother is not going to travel from one side of Cape Town to another." – ( Guardianservice)