J&K govt comes up with policy for welfare of abandoned babies; sets up rehabilitation centers

While it was unimaginable to have such centres in a conservative society like Kashmir, authorities have woken up to the reality of abandoned babies in the valley with the rehabilitation centres expected to go a long way in ensuring a bright future of such babies, reports ETV Bharat's Mir Farhat.

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir):In the traditional conservative society of Kashmir, even a mere mention of relationship would have been unthinkable. But with rising incidents of baby abandonments in the valley, authorities have been forced to formulate a policy as rehabilitation centres have been set up where such babies are now being officially adopted by childless couples.

The administration has formulated an adoption policy under which rehabilitate centers for abandoned children have been set up in every district of Kashmir, of which Srinagar's "Phulwari" center is the largest. In a special conversation with ETV Bharat, Superintendent of Specialized Adoption Agency, Shafiq Azam Mattu said that by setting up centers, abandoned children are adopted by childless couples, which ensures a bright future for such children.

Before the babies are adopted, they are being taken care by the female workers, who ensure their well-being. The women workers said that such are they attached to the babies that when someone adopts these children, they are disappointed at first but happy for a bright future of the children. The move for the welfare of the abandoned babies is being appreciated, with social workers suggesting that the government needs to do more.

Social activist Badrul Duja told ETV Bharat that the government should make available cradles for abandoned children in social places so that people keep these children in them and the children are not exposed to the weather or animals. He further said that there is an increase in the rate of infertility among married women and men in Kashmir, but due to the establishment of child sponsorship centers, such couples adopt these children.

In recent years, newborns born of unwed couples are mostly abandoned near garbage sites or hospitals in the Kashmir Valley. Nearly 70 babies were left abondoned in Kashmir in the last decade of which many died due to lack of care. However, after implementation of new adoption act childless couples are given these babies for adoption under Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) law through a proper procedure of law by the child welfare committees.