Caring for the unwanted
The nursery of the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau in Lahore gives shelter to abandoned infants and looks after their needs. This is the only nursery of its kind in the province. There are 17 such infants at the nursery. They were mostly found at garbage dumps or in hospitals where their parents or mothers left them for various reasons. In some cases, it is the same old story of innocent women being betrayed by cruel men. There are three nannies at the nursery who serve them with motherly love and affection. These babies have to be fed every two hours. These women, who are enthused with love and affection, feed them, change their diapers and play with them working at the nursery for hours. They say though they sometimes get angry with their own children, they never get annoyed with the babies at the nursery. They try to give them utmost love and affection considering that they are deprived of the love of their biological parents.
While taking custody of abandoned babies the bureau gives its head’s name as the guardian of the babies since their fathers are unknown. They have an agreement with the National Database Regulatory Authority in this connection. They make discreet inquiries about the religion of the babies. They adhere to the injunctions of religion and principles of morality while dealing with matters pertaining to father’s name and religious affinity of the children. They have strict rules on adoption of babies by couples. Those intending to adopt babies are asked questions about their families, their income, their social background, etc. Inquiries are made to establish the veracity of the information provided by couples; and after the bureau is satisfied about the correctness of the information, then babies are handed over for adoption. The bureau is doing a good job by caring for the unwanted, the abandoned, the uncared-for and the forgotten. Love and compassion are necessary for world peace.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 3rd, 2020.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.