HYDERABAD: A newborn baby boy was found abandoned at Mansoorabad in LB Nagar on Wednesday.
A passerby heard the baby crying and alerted the local police. Later, the baby was shifted to Sishu Vihar, the government home for children in the city.While police have registered a case under Section 317 of IPC, for abandonment and exposure of a child under 12 years, this is not an isolated case that was reported in the recent past.
According to Balala Hakkula Sangham(BHS), a city-based child rights organisation, at least 48 babies have been found abandoned till date only in 2017. Out of which, three were alive and shifted to Sishu Vihar. “State government had struck off cradle baby scheme where parents who do not want to keep their babies can give them up for adoption, anonymously. If this scheme is still implemented, people will stop abandoning babies like this,” pointed Achyuta Rao, from BHS.
Though the number of cases that came to light are many, the district child protection committee is making efforts to prevent abandonment, according to Imtiaz Ali, district child protection officer for Hyderabad.
As per government records, 68 abandoned and relinquished children in the age groups of 0 and 6 have been taken into Sishu Vihar in the year 2016-17.
Among this, 21 children have been reintegrated with the families after counselling and 47 have been declared suitable for adoption. Out of these, 18 have been adopted and 29 are in process.
“The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children)Act, 2015 mandates that child protection committees are responsible for tracing the home and parents of abandoned children. In case we cannot, the children can be declared for adoption,” said Imtiaz.