Child abandonment, no matter what the circumstances are, is always a heart-breaking topic, and the latest ‘trend’ to deal with the issue has prompted serious debate.
Switzerland has sparked controversy this week, after it was announced that authorities have opened an eighth ‘baby hatch’.
Baby hatches are essentially windows where mothers can place their ‘unwanted’ babies without revealing their identities. The children are then taken into foster care and, after a year, they are put up for adoption.
According to reports, an alarm will sound about five minutes after the parent leaves their child in the hatch, and then a member of the authorities comes to collect the baby. The parent can reclaim the baby for up to a year after placing her or him in the hatch.
The process has, understandably, divided people all over the world. While many have backed the UN’s view that baby hatches are a violation of children’s rights, others have claimed that it provides the safest option for the child who is being given up. Indeed, baby hatches are to be found in many other countries, including Germany, Japan and Pakistan.
With the opening of a new hatch in Sion, Switzerland, people all over the world have expressed concern that this process – which deprives the child of any information regarding their identity – has become too prevalent and acceptable.
What are your thoughts?
