Growing problem of abandoned babies in Malaysia
source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11050427
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- ampersand
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Sixty-five infants have been found so far this year, and many were dead by the time they were discovered. The issue has touched a raw nerve in the Muslim-majority country.
The government fears that number will surpass previous totals - an average of 100 babies are found each year.
They were left in rubbish bins, on doorsteps and on the streets, prompting the government to consider treating cases as murder or attempted murder.
The latest abandoned baby, a newborn infant, was found dumped by a riverside, covered in a towel and a piece of cloth and stuffed into a bag.
The gruesome finds have encouraged some observers to point the finger at familiar targets: internet pornography, bad parenting, and an over-exposure to sexually liberal western culture.
But the phenomenon has also revived a debate over sex education in schools in a country where young people are taught abstinence, and where having a child out of wedlock is seen as deeply shameful.
Social workers say this attitude simply drives many desperate women to abandon their babies. The government is trying to tackle the problem by increasing the penalty for the offense, asking police to treat such cases as murder or attempted murder.
But there have been other approaches. One charity recently opened the country's first "baby hatch" - a place where mothers can safely and anonymously leave their unwanted child.
The southern state of Malacca believes the way to curb the problem is to allow Muslim girls under the age of 16 to marry; it has also proposed opening a school for pregnant teenagers.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11050427
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ThresholdBroken
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Sad when a person who gave you life considers you a piece of shit not worthy of their trials and tribulations to raise you.... don't worry child....... your parents will be forever mentally tormented.
- 1 year ago
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ThresholdBroken
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bc_f [removed]
- This comment was removed as a violation of community guidelines.
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bc_f [removed]
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CarolineS
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bc_f:
true, but unfortunately a LOT of gay people all over the world are forbidden from adopting, especially in these (middle eastern) countries
- 1 year ago
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CarolineS
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CarolineS
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saddening...the female race is repressed the world over, regardless of religion and wealth.
- 1 year ago
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CarolineS
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Omnomynous
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No worse than all the American mothers having babies and aren't emotionally or financially stable enough to take care of them. I've met so many kids or now adults I couldn't believe had to deal with the things they had to deal with.
I particularly like the ones who have children because they are such insufferable bitches that no man would grow old with them, so they have the kid using the rationale; "My baby will love me forever, no matter what."......
But it's okay I'm learning to forgive.
- 1 year ago
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Omnomynous
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thedirtman
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A greater portion of Malaysia's economic success stems from it's proximity to Singapore. Singapore long ago found the right recipe for balancing Islamic values with western industriousness and comforts to the point where they have become a world contender. The world looks to Singapore for regional leadership. But much of Singapore also depends on Malaysia for labor, so that Singapore's influence has crossed the political boundary. Malaysia has yet to acquire a successful recipe.
This isn't to say that everything in Malaysia is not working. However, in this case, western forward-thinking, not completely thought-out mentality plus eastern hard discipline and administration of shame equals extreme fail.
- 1 year ago
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thedirtman
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ezrierin
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I am not trying to be an a-hole here, but there are a few fun facts about Malaysia that points the finger of blame toward Malaysia itself.
Ethnic Malays comprise about 60% of the population. Chinese constitute about 26%; Indians and indigenous peoples make up all the rest.
The Chinese are wealthy because they are the prime industrious culture within the country. They stick together and keep the wealth to themselves. They work day and night to get the money.
Ethnic Malays are so steeped in their religious traditions, you cannot get any work out of them. In South East Asia, the non-Muslim countries like to say the Malays pray at sunrise, pray at noon, pray at mid afternoon and again in the evening. Each prayer session takes up an hour each. Take off for lunch and breaks and how in the Hell are you going to run an economy like that?
The 14% of Indians and indigenous peoples are economically shunned by the Chinese, and discriminated against by the Muslim Malay majority. So they are the poorest of them all.
Even predominantly Muslim Indonesia next door to Malaysia sees the Malaysians as economic deadbeats. The Indonesians work religious observances into a full workday.
Add all that religious tradition (shame of out of wedlock babies and loss of female economic value through marriage), an economic malaise in general, and a down turned world economy and you get girls dumping babies all over Malaysia.
International investment is slow as the products of Malaysia are locked tight amongst the wealthy, and tourism faces the prospect of bad workers and religious authorities banning and restricting alcohol and entertainment.
The entrenched government of the wealthy uses excuses about western influence to stifle investment and keep themselves in power by popular religious bigotry.
It is a mess, and nothing is going to change from outside influence. Bottom line, you cannot change the whole world. - 1 year ago
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ezrierin
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ampersand
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ezrierin:
I think your comment is a fair insight into some of the underlying problems in Malaysian society. I don't think the problem of abandoned babies is unique to Malaysia. The "baby hatch" door was in use in many convents in Italy over the last several centuries.
The pressures of population made worse by economic and environmental disasters and complicated by repressive and archaic social and religious customs will continue to reproduce this sad outcome, in various forms, in many societies around the earth. - 1 year ago
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ampersand
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ezrierin
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ampersand:
"baby hatch" Now I remember where I had heard that before. Thanks for reminding me. It is sad that human beings still have to put those things into use. I wish as a species we could get beyond poverty. I belive we can if we only desire to do so. It's all so sad right now.
- 1 year ago
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ezrierin
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SarahAna
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The baby hatch, throwing babies down a hatch and hoping all goes well.
- 1 year ago
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SarahAna
