Babies Are God’s Gift, Please Don’t Abandon Them
By Finaz Daniel

Bandar Seri Begawan - As a Muslim country proud of its religious and cultural values, the prevalence of abandoning babies in the country is a crushing blow to the society.

Most of these cases involve Muslims or Malay women, said Hjh Rogayah BPK DP Hj Abdul Wahid, religious propagation officer at the Islamic Da'wah Centre and author of the `Issue of abandoning babies in Brunei Darussalam'.

"We are Muslims in a Muslim country with strong beliefs towards the teachings of Islam and it is apparent that these people, even those who are not Islam, have no religious boundaries," she told The Brunei Times.

This is not the Jahiliah era, she said, when Arabs would kill their baby girls by burying them alive because they were ashamed.

"Nowadays, people should be smarter than that," she added. Hjh Rogayah further said that these newborns not only belong to the mother but are the country's future generation and human resources who can contribute to the country's development.

"They are God Almighty's gift of life, they do not have the rights to abandon or kill the child," she said.

Based on the Criminal Investigation Department statistics, there were 13 recorded cases of abandoned babies in the country from the years 2005 to 2007.

"This number serves as a tragic reminder that Brunei should be equipped with a system with enough support services to help any mother before she gets to the desperate point of abandoning her baby," said Hjh Rogayah.

The Community Development Department provides a helpline to assist mothers facing the dilemma of unwanted children where the identity of the parent remains confidential.

The aim is not to seek punishment for the offending mothers but offer a chance for the unwanted child and save them from being abandoned.

Whereas this is the right way to go, Hjh Rogayah feels that government agencies should also provide a clinic or centre where mothers can leave their unwanted newborns without feeling the shame of speaking to an official.

She explained that this is because some pregnant mothers panic only at the last minute of giving birth to their unwanted child and in their distress and desperation, dump their babies at a dumpster or rubbish bin.

Some of these babies are found dead due to exposure to unhealthy environments, while others are found and saved in the nick of time.

"It brings ultimate shame to our country if an abandoned baby is found dumped in a rubbish bin by a tourist," she said.

The religious officer remarked that the presence of the biological father at the time of a child's birth should be mandatory, so that the hospital is aware beforehand that the mother is unwed.

In the event of this, the unwanted child will go under the care of the government, she said. "Relevant government agencies should be stricter in these systems," she said. She further suggested upgrading the country's DNA system to determine who the father of the child is.

The book `Issue of abandoning babies in Brunei Darussalam' lists 15 possible reasons for the abandonment of a child, which includes results of rape, children born out of wedlock and teenage pregnancies.

"The civil and syariah laws punishment for these acts can go up to 10 years imprisonment and not to mention numerous strokes of whipping, however that is nothing in comparison to the punishment they'll get from the Allah the Almighty in their after-life," said Hjh Rogayah.

"The public should work together against these activities to achieve harmony and peace in life and remain away from the wrath of Allah (SWT)," she added. The abandonment of a child also opens up the gateway to a number of other issues and problems associated with it.

Children that are saved grow up as jaded orphans who have no family or possessions and their mental well-being is of a concern as they grow up angry with no family values, said Hjh Rogayah.

They grow up having no idea if they have any brothers or sisters, which brings about the worry that in the future, they may get involved in an incestuous relationship without ever knowing it, she added.

The religious officer emphasised on the importance of leading a life in accordance with the teachings of Islam so that these social problems could be eliminated.

"If you have strength in your religious' beliefs and the teachings of Islam, you would not even contemplate on abandoning your child," she said. -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

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