Baby abandoned on outskirts of Muscat
124 unwanted children live at a childcare centre run by government awaiting foster parents
Anewborn baby was found abandoned in a remote area in Amerat province of Muscat governorate on Monday morning, Gulf News has learnt.
The baby girl, believed to be no more than two days old with her umbilical cord intact, was spotted by policemen on patrol at 6.30am.
Police said that they are on a mission to identify the parents of the abandoned baby.
An official source at Muscat’s Khoulah hospital said that the baby girl is in stable condition. “She remains under observation,” said the source.
As many as 124 abandoned children believed to be born to couples out of wedlock are living in a government-run child care facility, Al Khoud Child Care Centre, according to the Ministry of Social Development.
Full investigation
Couples often abandon unwanted children as they fear legal persecution. Sex out of wedlock is a violation of the law in Oman.
In August, two siblings were found abandoned in Muscat’s Qurum Park during Eid holiday. They were later adopted by an Omani family.
Al Khoud Child Care Centre is where abandoned babies from all parts of the country are placed until they are given new homes.
Omani authorities give them names, birth certificates and citizenship documents, and conduct full investigations before giving them to Omani families for adoption, according to an official at the Ministry of Social Development.
Most unwanted children are found abandoned near mosques, hospitals and Al Khoud centre,
A two-year-old girl, Dana, who was found abandoned in Buraimi Public Park last April is still in Al Khoud centre.
She was found crying alone in the park after being brought there by an Omani woman who called the police to rescue her. The woman, along with an Omani man believed to be the girl’s father, were held in police custody for months but later released on bail.
The names of the people involved in the case have not been revealed by authorities as the investigation is ongoing. The girl’s mother is believed to be a Saudi national who used to live with her Omani boyfriend in Buraimi.
Investigators believe the mother fled the country, and they have been unable to get any information about her whereabouts.