CASES of baby dumping are unlikely to abate for as long as punitive measures are seen as a solution to the problem of teenage pregnancies.
Panellists and participants of a forum on the Abandonment of Babies, organised by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) recently, concurred that criminalising such acts prevents young girls from seeking help when faced with unintended pregnancies.
“The fear factor is the main stumbling block. For as long as these young girls live in fear of being punished, they will not come forward to seek help for their unwanted pregnancies,” stressed child rights advocate and Suhakam commissioner James Nayagam.
Instead of compassion and support, these girls are instead often greeted with contempt.
“There is a lot of discrimination and hate for those in this situation and many of them abandon their babies because they feel they will be penalised if they come forward to register the birth,” added Dr Hartini Zainudin, consultant at Rumah Nur Salam, a safehouse for children in the Chow Kit area.
This gives rise to a vicious cycle as children without documents are considered stateless and have little access to formal education or even proper healthcare.
They inevitably find themselves in a vulnerable position such as being subject to baby-for-sale and child trafficking syndicates, as pointed out by Suhakam vice-chairperson Professor Datuk Dr Khaw Lake Tee.
Dr Hartini stressed that many unwed mothers were also reluctant to register the birth because of the stigma that comes with it as the child was registered as illegitimate in the birth certificate.
She also questioned the rationale why abandoned babies, who are placed in government-run welfare institutions, are given a religion, but not a nationality.
“When they are sent to institutions, they become Muslims, but they remain stateless. Why would you give an abandoned child a religion, but not an identity?”
Bar Council Human Rights committee chairperson Andrew Khoo said the law needs to be more sensitive to people who are victims themselves.
He pointed out that society often forgets that in most cases, the unwed pregnant mother is also a child herself.
“The ‘perpetrator’ is also often the ‘victim’. Do we punish the person who may be a victim of circumstances?”.
The perception that “teen pregnancies and abandoned babies” are “women’s issues” compounds the problem further, as men are conveniently left out of the equation
“We keep saying ‘women, don’t pull up your skirt.’ But why don’t we say ‘men, don’t pull down your pants?'” asked panellist Ahmad Razif Mohd Sidek, head of Human Rights and International Organisations at the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
Khoo agreed, adding that more needs to be done to identify these deadbeat dads.
“We have DNA testing. It can be done. If you’re going to be sexually active, you have to be responsible for the consequences.”
Agreeing on the need for more preventive measures and advocacy for safe sex, the participants lauded the Ministry of Education’s move to introduce Social and Reproductive Health education in schools, but expressed reservations about how it would be taught.
Dr Hartini said the teaching of the subject should not be left to adults alone as it should also include voices from the children, especially those in vulnerable situations.
“Children are more sophisticated now. They will get other sources of information if you don’t give it to them. And I always believe a little information is more dangerous than none at all,” she stressed.
Ivy Josiah, executive director of the Women’s Aid Organisation, said as the purpose of sex education was to help reduce risky behaviour, the subject should be approached in a more holistic manner.
She suggested that non-governmental organisations be roped in to help teach the subject without making it a squeamish topic, if the ministry lacked sufficiently trained teachers.
University Malaya law lecturer Dr Fara Nini Dusuki agreed it was important to have well-trained teachers who could discuss the topic factually without feeling embarrassed.
She related her schooling experience where her Biology teacher skipped the chapter on sexuality and reproductive health and advised his students to read it up on their own as he was uncomfortable talking about the subject.
The panellists also emphasised the need to sensitise service providers such as hospital staff, National Registration Department and school officials not to be judgmental and take on the role of moral gatekeepers when dealing with such cases.
“Why do we need to loudly ask the pregnant woman if she has a surat nikah (marriage certificate)? Even my wife who was expecting our second child was not spared this. Can’t you show some respect for that person and treat her with dignity, even if she is an unwed mother?” questioned Ahmad Razif.
He was echoing the views of another participant who had earlier voiced her frustration at having to deal with nurses and hospital staff who adopt a very condescending attitude towards unwed mothers.
Rabiah Muhamad Noor, the supervisor of the Kasih Ukhwah centre in Kajang, which counsels and assists pregnant teenagers, disclosed that most hospital staff are usually reluctant to admit or treat unmarried pregnant women.
“How are we to help these young girls if we can’t even show some compassion?”
