Unmarried mother hands over baby to shelter home

LUCKNOW : At a time when there are frequent reports of children being found abandoned in bushes, a 19-year- old unmarried mother on Saturday handed over her 10-day-old baby to Asha Jyoti Kendra (through the hospital where she gave birth ) so that it would receive proper care.

“I was 7 months pregnant when my family came to know about the pregnancy,” the woman told the child rights authorities, adding, “Since then I am living with a friend.”

Instead of supporting the woman during her crucial time, the family abandoned her. She said, “It’s not their fault. But it’s also not the fault of this baby. He deserves good care.”

Asha Jyoti Kendra’s in charge, Archana Singh said, “It is good the woman thought of handing over the child to us. There have been cases when children are found abandoned in bad conditions.” The woman did not want to reveal her identity to start a new life, Singh said.

Child Welfare Committee (CWC) Lucknow ordered to send the child to the shelter home for kids in the town. CWC member Sangeeta Sharma also said it was good the child was not abandoned. She said the child was named Kanha. “He was lodged in the shelter home on a rainy day. The staff in the shelter home decided to name him after Lord Krishna (also Known as Kanha). As per the doctor’s report, the child was healthy, she said.

According to the state government’s record tabled in the assembly recently, around 424 infants and children were found abandoned in UP between April 2017 and March 2019.

Child rights authorities have put cradles at some places where ‘unwanted’ children can be left. “The concept is not taken well by the people as almost daily we hear about an abandoned child found in bushes,” said Divya Singh, a child rights activist.

ACCORDING TO THE STATE GOVT’S RECORD, AROUND 424 INFANTS AND CHILDREN WERE FOUND ABANDONED IN UP BETWEEN APRIL 2017 AND MARCH 2019