ABANDONED CHILDREN IN SINGAPORE

ABANDONED CHILDREN IN SINGAPORE

39.

Mr Laurence Wee Yoke Thong asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (a) what is the trend of abandoned children in Singapore over the last five years and, if increasing, what are the steps and preventive measures taken to address the issue; and (b) whether the Government will consider developing a baby hatch similar to the one in Malaysia.

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: Between 2005 and 2009, an average of three babies were abandoned alive each year. This number has not increased. For expectant mothers in distress, our priority is to ensure both baby and mother are safe. In this regard, we have worked in partnership with a group of social service agencies to develop a network of support services, and to encourage these women to seek help early.

Expectant mothers who are distressed can call the 24-hour toll-free MUM-TO-BE Helpline. Social workers will counsel the expectant mothers and help them to understand the options available to them. In 2009, 1,026 calls were made to the helpline.

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For teenagers in pregnancy crises, they can seek help from the Babes service through the use of Short Message Service (SMS). The use of SMS was initiated as a means to reach out to young mothers who may feel more comfortable seeking help through sending an SMS. In 2009, the service received close to 1,500 SMSes and helped 79 teens with pregnancy-related needs.

The Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) also works with voluntary welfare organisations running shelters to provide a safe environment for expectant mothers to carry the pregnancy to full term. Social workers can also assist the mother if she decides to give up her baby for adoption. Another source of help available is Sanctuary House, which provides short-term emergency infant care services. By providing an opportunity for the parents to leave their babies in a safe home environment for a temporary period, parents are able to seek assistance and consider care options for their infants rather than abandoning them in unsafe conditions or environments.

There have been calls in other countries for legislative changes to allow parents to legally abandon babies or to set up "baby hatches" or "baby drops" where unwanted babies can be left. The experiences of countries such as the US and Japan have not shown that the method works. Cases of babies abandoned in unsafe places are still reported, despite "baby drops" having been set up. Instead we should continue with the efforts at raising awareness on the avenues of help, reaching out to those at-risk and providing responsive services to those in need.

The community can play an important role. Anyone who knows of a woman or girl facing pregnancy crisis should encourage her to seek help early.

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