The new-born baby girl, who was abandoned by her mother at Charbagh railway station on Sunday, was admitted to child shelter home on Monday. She is the fifth newborn including 3 girls and two boys, found abandon in the city this year.
A medical examination done on the orders of the Child Welfare Committee found the girl healthy. Since the umbilical cord was found attached, the doctor said that she was abandoned within 24 hours after birth.
CWC member Sangeeta Sharma said that a woman came to a family sitting on platform number six of Charbagh railway station on Sunday and asked them to hold the baby for few seconds but ran out after handing the baby. The family chased her but lost her in the crowd. The family informed Government Railway Police following which repeated announcements were made on the public address system in vain. When there was no response, GRP handed over the baby to Childline. Childline volunteers informed CWC and took the baby to the hospital for a check-up. The girl was then taken to Rajkiya Shishu Grih, the government shelter home for children below 10 years on Prag Narayan road.
CWC sources said that mostly unwed mothers abandon newborns after birth while preference for the male child also makes families abandon children born with some disability.
In 2018, total 11 newborns, including seven girls, were found abandoned in the city, while eight, including 5 girls, were forsaken in 2017.
Child abandonment is the practice of relinquishing interests and claims over one’s offspring in an extralegal way with the intent of never again resuming or reasserting guardianship over them.
In most cases, child abandonment is classified under a subsection of child abuse statutes and is punishable with a felony.
Poverty and homelessness are often causes of child abandonment. People living in countries with poor social welfare systems and who are not financially capable of taking care of a child are more likely to abandon their children because of a lack of resources.
