It’s time to stop this inhuman practice
KARACHI: Poverty often makes people make decisions that they may end up regretting. And one such decision may be giving up a child because the parents or the guardians are unable to provide for him or her. However, what is worse than giving up a baby at an orphanage or a shelter home is dumping it in the garbage, leaving it unattended to die. Three such cases have recently surfaced in Karachi near MA Jinnah Road, where bodies of three newborn babies were found.
In fact, according to reports, 23 bodies of newborns have been found across the city since the beginning of this year. The police have so far been unable to catch the culprits behind such cruelty. But it is perhaps safe to assume that the bodies of these newborns were either left because their families were unable to provide for them or these babies were born out of wedlock. In either case, it is unfortunate that these bodies were left in the open to decay.
In such a scenario, it becomes significant for the authorities concerned to make people aware about the availability of orphanages in the country. In case they are not financially stable to take care of their babies or have had them out of wedlock, they can leave them in the cribs available outside shelter homes like Edhi’s. Moreover, it is also equally important to sensitise people on family planning. No newborn, live or dead, deserves to be left in trash. It’s time to stop this inhuman practice.
Madiha Khan
Published in The Express Tribune, March 16th, 2018.
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