‘Baby dumping’ rife in Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur (dpa) – A Malaysian Islamist party asserted that

Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Day celebrations encourage free sex

that has led to a spate of baby dumpings that have grabbed national

headlines, a news report said Thursday. 

   “Baby dumping is rampant, especially during the months of July to

September,” Nasrudin Hassan, head of the Pan Islamist Party’s (PAS’)

youth wing, was quoted as saying by The Star daily.

   Nasrudin claimed there had been 15 cases of abandoned babies since

July.

   “It’s an indication that the ‘mating season’ occurred during the

New Year’s Day celebrations,” he said, adding that the PAS expected

more cases through September. He put the blame on Western traditions,

such as Valentine’s Day, that “put youths in situations involving

alcohol and indecent behaviour.”

   PAS, Malaysia’s largest opposition party, is planning a meeting

with non-profit organizations and all political parties Sunday to

tackle the social problems involving baby dumping, especially by

young, unwed mothers.

   Local newspapers have recently reported a series of babies being

found dead and alive at dumpsites, at the doorsteps of strangers’

homes or in rivers.

   One reported in The Star involved an unwed university student who

had a miscarriage and threw away her 5-month-old foetus in a rubbish

bin in a toilet. 

   Another baby boy with his umbilical cord still attached was found

alive outside the home of a policeman.

   According to police data, 65 babies have been found abandoned so

far this year. Last year, 79 cases were reported.

   The media uproar has led the government to propose the death

sentence for baby dumping, sparking more debate on the issue.