Since its inception in 2009 till March 2020, the Ammathottil in Kollam had welcomed 25 newborns. But in the past one year, the facility, under the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare, saw a sharp rise in new arrivals, with 15 babies landing in the cradle.
According to officials, there has been a spike in child surrenders as well and the Women & Child Development Department is planning to carry out a study to find the reasons. “There can be an array of factors contributing to it, ranging from loss of livelihood to lack of access to contraceptives. The pandemic might have robbed some parents of the means to take care of another child. Also, there has been a surge in the number of sexual abuse cases involving minors,” says an official.
By leaving the baby in Ammathottil, the parental rights are relinquished within a stipulated time frame and the council never tries to track them. “Mostly, unwed and underage mothers leave their babies in Ammathottil. But of late, many parents have been getting in touch with us, anonymously. Recently, a family travelled from Chennai to leave their baby in one of our cradles.”
COVID-19 and lockdown can be factors triggering child abandonment, he says, as a higher number of children have been surrendered by parents since the outbreak.
Electronic cradles
Many parents still abandon infants in very unsafe places as they think that is the only way to maintain anonymity. KSCCW officials say they are planning to install more electronic cradles across the State and launch a campaign to spread awareness. “Our priority is the safety and welfare of the babies. Ammathottil is a better option compared to abandoning babies on roadsides and garbage dumps or raising them under all sorts of risks. These babies under the care of the State are adopted by families across the globe. COVID-19 has not affected our adoption proceedings so far. The rise in number may also indicate the parents’ trust in our system that guarantees a good future to the babies,” says J.S. Shiju Khan, KSCCW general secretary.
