Adolescents
are often associated with social problems and this has become an increasingly
serious issue. Almost every day we can see the media reporting on issues
involving youngsters, specifically adolescents on drug abuse, LGBT, illegal
racing, snatch theft crime, gengsterisme, road bullies and runaways, reaching
alarming levels.
In recent years, baby dumping has been one of the most shocking of these issues plaguing the country. Baby dumping involves the illegal discarding of infants ages less than 12 months old, left in the open or in hidden places, with the intention to get rid of the baby regardless of the dangers on the baby’s life (Nazani, Zaherawati, Zaliha & Kamaruadin, 2012). An example of the worst kinds of dumping are when a girl would give birth in a school bathroom at night then throws the baby into the garbage or in the toilet bowl even a baby swaddled in newspapers left squalling by a fly-infested dustbin, as opposed to a baby left on the doorsteps of people’s home with notes or in a mosque.
This is an
embarrassing, sad and worst reflection of our society today with statistics
showing that these youngsters play a very worrying role in the rise of unwed
pregnancies which usually leads to dumping. In January to April 2010, there
were a reported number of over 111 unmarried young girls who were pregnant out
of wedlock (Source: JKM). While the figures way seem in reasonable
value, it should not be taken lightly as in all likelihood we may see a sharp increase
of reported cases for the rest of the year. There are also the unreported cases
which makes it harder to tabulate an exact amount of unwed pregnancies, making
the exact numbers higher than any given statistics.
The key
triggers for baby dumping are out of wedlock pregnancy coupled with an
unforgiving society. In particular, when this happens to adolescent in school
who are not mentally prepared to cognitively think of a better solution and may
only react out of fear and panic, looking to dumping as the only solution that
would help get their lives back to normal. This is in relation to the rise of
early unsafe uneducated adolescent sexual practice in Malaysia, which prompts
these pregnancies leading to baby dumping with statistics showing that in most
developing countries the population are sexually active before they are 15
years of age (Dixon-Mueller, 2009).
Baby dumping
is not the solution and is considered a crime under Section 317 of the Penal
Code which carries a maximum jail term of seven years of fine or both according
to the Malaysia law. For the past few years the alarming numbers of newborn
babies found dead or live in the most unlikely places such as toilets and dumpsters
have increased dramatically. As Malaysians gets desensitized by the violence
against these children increases, so does it is reflected on how cases of it
rises over time reaching intolerable levels, taking into question our own sense
morality as a civilized society.
According to Utusan Malaysia, these inhuman activities
ran rampant as it seems to happen almost every month, only a slight drop from
last year which had monthly occurrences of it. On January 16, 2013 a fetus was
found in a glass bottle near the lay stall by a cleaner in Kota Kinabalu,
Sabah. Then, by 21st January, newborn baby was dumped into garbage
bin in Hospital Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah, Temerloh, Pahang. This trend continued
up till December. Is this the developed society that we wanted be? What goes to
the mind of these killers? What prompted such cruelty to manifest among
supposedly peace loving Malaysians? This is not an isolated problem this is the
effects modern social values corrupting our sense of humanity.
There are
various factors and reasons of increasing cases of baby dumping. This can be categorizing
into three main components which is social, spiritual and globalization in
developing technology (Prof Madya Dr Mohammad Shatar, 2010). Social factors are the main point that leads
to baby dumping. This includes unlimited socialization in life between men and
women, where western portrayal of romance makes the culture of unsafe casual
sexual practice the norm. Where the populace only takes in these portrayals
without the benefit of solid sexual education that teaches them about safe sex
through the use of condoms.
Religious
education then plays an important role in shaping the minds of our young
against the onslaught of westernized social thought, it allows them to have a
strong moral compass and belief system where they can turn to for guidance and
comfort. With it our youths can make better decision on what is good and bad
for them and those around them.
In the
globalization era, the proliferation of technologies through mobile phones and
higher usage of the internet, has allowed unprecedented access to a myriad and
dizzying volume of information and actives. Left unmonitored, our children may
be exposed to immoral activities that they do not understand and may copy
blandly.
Thus it is imperative that we keep a close eye on our kids, nurture them, teaching about
good and bad, help and harm, let them understand intrinsically that sex comes
with its own set of consequences and baby are not things to be thrown at a
whim, they are people,
Adults play an
integral role in this initiative, where through their guidance and good example
that these young adolescent may learn of the immorality of the act. Cooperation
of the authority, government and society as a whole also plays a crucial role
towards achieving the target of eliminating social problems in a community.
This might be seen as an insurmountable task, but something worthwhile is never
easy.
![]()
