References Article 1 Baby dumping: Blame someone before someone blames you!

September 07, 2010 SEPT 7 I am not an avid Family Guy viewer, but a good friend of mine is. The other day we were discussing how the show was recently un-banned in Malaysia, but is heavily censored. Any curse word, or word that sounds like a curse word, is removed. Most references to sex and violence are also omitted, which is why Astro can air a whole episode in less than 20 minutes. What is really interesting though are the parts allowed through. A case in point: they let the full Prom Night Dumpster Baby song play given the fact that baby dumping is without doubt a sensitive topic. In Malaysia, 60 discarded babies have been recorded so far this year. When horrible things like this happen nobody likes to look in the mirror especially when they think maybe they might have some stake in the issue. Who should be looking in the mirror? I think of the family that never teaches their son about the harms of alcohol and he ends up nose down in a river, or the family that fails to teach their daughter about her body only to find that she was touched in the wrong place by a forceful guest. You simply cant be surprised when these things happen if you are not proactive in their prevention. The ignorant need guidance. Given the fact that a whole Baby Dumping Unit has been created by the MCA , this must be a serious issue one that shouldnt be overlooked, but why would baby dumping be more common in a harmonious country like Malaysia? Provocative writer Deborah Loh of The Nut Graph gives a fantastic overview of all the arguments from authority that seem to be missing the truth by... a long shot! Here are what some of the self-proclaimed baby dumping experts have to say: Lets begin with a word from the wise: If you ever find something wrong in the world, blame porn. Right away, traditional conservative peoples will be on your side. Federal CID director Comm Datuk Seri Bakri Zinin cleverly did just that, blaming the overabundance and accessibility of pornography today. I am wondering how he discovered this relationship? Did he have people watch hours of porn and ask them whether they felt compelled to dump babies? That is the best guess I can come up with. Pornography which has been widely consumed by EVERY culture since humans figured out how to draw on caves, is not on the rise or fall. Since every society on earth consumes

it, it would be silly to think that only Malaysia is seeing babies in dumpsters because of erotic images. Romantic holidays like Valentines and New Years have also been blamed by the selfproclaimed baby dumping experts. PAS Youth deputy chief Azman Shapawi reportedly said that free mixing between the sexes, which seemingly only happens on these holidays in his world, has led to more baby dumping. Obviously he doesnt get out much. Similarly, couples riding on vehicles together has also been blamed. Mazlan Mohamad, director of the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Teachers Training Institute in Kuantan, Pahang, proactively prohibited trainee teachers from riding together. He says If its just for dinner, then theres no problem. But if dinners over and theyre still together alone in a car, then that is not right. No word on how drastically his new rules have curbed baby dumping. I am trying to connect the dots, but really... logic prohibits me. Others are blaming secular values and the lack of religious education. Malaysian Muslim Lawyers Association president Zainul Rijal Abu Bakar said the reason why the majority of baby-dumping cases involved Malays was because there was no control on curbing immoral activities. They are doing this due to a lack of religious guidance and I consider this a curse from Allah, Zainul reportedly said. A curse from God? I just think it is ignorant and misinformed teenage girls with nobody who will really listen and not judge them. Thinking it is a curse from God wont really help the problem, will it? Unless you just want to shun your cursed daughters? A lack of religious guidance? My sisters are both very secular thinkers, have no religious education, and I have no doubt they will both be very careful about who they have relations with. I also know that we can talk about what could happen and they know I will support them regardless. Just because someone has your unconditional support it does not mean they will abuse it. Some questions worth considering: If your daughter: gets pregnant to a person of another religion gets pregnant to a person of another race gets raped by a family member makes a mistake and gets pregnant before marriage Does she know that you will forgive her and always love her? Is the average Malaysian family ready to handle this?

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What needs to be combated is the idea of Illegitimate children and bringing shame to the family. In many traditional environments, these ideas reign supreme. Any and every child should feel as legitimate as the next. Growing up, I was taught about the consequences of sex, the need for continued communication between my parents and me. I do not remember thinking negatively about my friends who only had a mom or a dad. That was common, and I had no interest in judging them based on their situation. Reportedly in all Malaysian states, a child born out of wedlock to Muslim parents or who is adopted cannot get the normal Binti or Bin in their name. These abnormals receive the name Abdullah. This means that every person that encounters this child in the future can know of their parents negative marital situation at the time of their birth. This is completely unfair to an innocent child and it would be nice if this practice were changed. The concept of Illegitimacy needs to be confronted from the top to bottom. Love is what a child needs whether it is from one parent or two: unconditional love. Tell your children you will love them no matter what. Accidents happen, and family helps you get through them. Sex education is readily available and can be implemented whenever Malaysia is ready for it. Until then, parents should sit down with their kids and have the talk. I know firsthand, from teaching a sex education lesson here in Malaysia, that teenagers have many questions that should not have to be asked by individuals at that age. If a parent or older sibling chooses to ignore this responsibility and their child ends up giving birth to a baby in a washroom, or dumping it you should accept some of the blame. I never knew anyone in high school who had an abortion. I grew up in Canada, where it is legal. A friend here in Malaysia knows of a number of her friends who have had abortions. She grew up in Malaysia where abortion is illegal. Legalising abortion could be part of the solution. People seem to get caught up with whether one is for abortion or against abortion. These positions dont exist. Nobody likes abortion, but many are pro-choice recognising that it is a better alternative to unhappy and uncared for babies coming into this world. Every country on earth has abortions taking place. It just depends whether you want to pretend it doesnt exist and have unsafe black market abortions or whether you want to recognise that it will happen and provide safe and supportive centres where people can make this choice.. Criminalising baby dumping wont help with the problem at large. This is a small bandaid on a full blown disease. These young women arent criminals and if ultimately we want to save babies lives this is not the best way to go about it.

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Baby dumpers are scared, ignorant, and already in enough pain. A death sentence will end their suffering, but it wont change the fact that a baby was killed. What needs to be concentrated on by all parties is the indirect ways dumping behaviour can be prevented. As stated by Haslina Yaacob of the All Womens Action Society Malaysia (Awam) create a safe environment where these people know they could go to to be helped, listened to, understood and cared for. Talk to your daughters. Talk to your sons. Encourage safe sex. Encourage unconditional love and teach those around you that they are and will always be legitimate. These girls that dump their babies have long been dumped by the society they grew up in. Lets change that.

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/opinion/article/baby-dumping-blame-someone-beforesomeone-blames-you/

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Article 2 Baby dumping in Malaysia: causes and solutions

14:54, September 14, 2010 Malaysia is grappling with the rising cases of abandoned babies, "forcing" the Malaysian police to investigate baby-dumping cases under the Malaysian Penal Code for murder or attempt murder. The Malaysian public blame premarital sex on the over-exposure to sexually-liberal western culture, while the Malaysian government considers including sex education in school syllabus. Experts, on the other hand, say the first step to curb the rising trend is to start educating the young about their choices. Linda became pregnant when she was just about to graduate from high school. Not knowing what to do, the 20-year-old was devastated as her parents wanted her pregnancy to remain a secret. But later she found the Kewaja Rehabilitation centre, a women's shelter in Kuala Lumpur -- which has now become her temporary home until she is due in October this year. Pre-marital sex and having a child out of wedlock is deemed deeply shameful in Malaysia -- a Muslim majority country. They are not only regarded as a sin, but may also be a punishable crime. Muslim couples found guilty of fornicating could be fined up to thousands of U.S. dollars, jailed or caned. Linda was fortunate to have sought help from a shelter. But in a society where abortion is prohibited, many girls who share her experience are left stranded and eventually choose to abandon their babies. This year alone, the Malaysian police have discovered 65 abandoned infants, most of them dead by the time they were found.

They were left in rubbish bins, on doorsteps and on the streets, prompting the government to consider treating these cases as murder or attempted murder. Dr. Meriam Omar Din, a psychology counsellor at the International Islam University in Kuala Lumpur believes that cultural stigma that emphasizes abstinence is the main reason why pregnant girls are so eager to hide their pregnancy. "What they are doing is against the value of the family. It is like it is a mistake. They become desperate, perhaps they cannot see the right person who can help them find the solution," Meriam said in an interview with Xinhua. "By the time they star thinking, the baby is out. That is the reason why they would rather take the risk then to be rejected by the family. "In our religion, of course having sex (before marriage) is wrong, but throwing away a baby is worse. So I think throwing a baby is no longer caused by religious factor but cultural factor," Meriam added. She said the society's tendency to blame teenage pregnancy on women rather than men -could also be a contributing factor to the rising cases of abandoned babies. "The woman has to make the decision alone, and they do not have anyone to turn to and the man by then is not there anymore. To them, it is their fault because they are pregnant. The man does not want to get married with them. "If the embarrassment is one factor, if the man still stays and is willing to get married, I do not think they will throw the baby, " said Meriam. Women's shelters like the Kewaja Rehabilitation Centre are havens for many desperate young girls who are pregnant, helping them recover psychologically and physically while equipping them with skills that could get them a job after delivering a child. These shelters protect them momentarily from relatives and friends. Meanwhile, religious bodies in Malaysia have also geared up to conduct frequent checks on dormitories and hotel rooms against illicit sexual activities. And the Malaysian government is now contemplating on teaching sex education in school -- a much debated move for parents who fear it would promote sexual behaviors at a young age.
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Malaysians are struggling to curb teenage pregnancies and stop more babies from being abandoned. It is hard to find the perfect solution that everyone agrees on, but experts are now suggesting that it is about time that they stop telling young people what not to do, and instead educating them on how to make the right choices. Source: Xinhua ( By Jia Ning Tan)
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90777/90851/7139796.html

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Article 3 Baby dumping among teenagers in Malaysia

Thursday, August 12, 2010

CHILD is a priceless gift from Allah SWT. However, baby dumping is a social crisis and has a chronic increase as many cases are occurring in Malaysian society. The baby dumping refers to discarding or leaving alone, for an extended period of time, a child younger than 12 months of age in a public or private setting with the intent to dispose of the child. Based on Bukit Aman Police Headquarters statistics found a total of 580 babies were found dumped between year 2000 to 2006. This number of cases increase every year where as much as 65 baby dumping cases has increased to 83 cases in the year 2006. In the first 5 months, almost every day there are reports on dumped baby cases.You read it on the front page of the newspaper or see it on the nightly news...a newborn baby found in a back alley. This scenario had been more serious from day to day although there are a lot about this in the mass media. Mostly,among teenagers always seen to be involved in this situation. Teenage parents give birth in a motel room and leave the child for dead in a dumpster. A girl gives birth in a school bathroom at night. throws the baby into the garbage or in the toilet.These stories relate to one of the most frightening realities of our culture today: some children are viewed as problems to be thrown away rather than gifts to be treasured. More recently, the tragedy of Baby Dumpinghas begun to be addressed by state legislatures throughout the nation. For example, a number of states have passed laws to provide funding, care, and services for dumped children. These legislative actions have also established 'safe houses' - public centers such as fire stations, police stations, and other public areas where women can bring unwanted children rather then leave them in trash receptacles. The hope is that, by offering an alternative to dumping, women might leave their children with people who can help the baby. Surprisingly, these cases have got a lot of attention from the community. So, what are the best opinions and ways that should be taken to prevent this scenario from spreading?
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Child dumping is the practice of dumping offspring outside of legal adoption.The dumped child is called a foundling or throwaway. According to a reliable statistics, one baby is dumped every week. A figure that has trebled in the past decades. Causes include many social and cultural factors as well as mental illness.

One factor that leads to child dumping is teenage pregnancy. Teenage pregnancy is defined as a teenage or underage girl becoming pregnant.This pregnancy of teenagers are a mere result of the gratification of sexual urges. That pregnancy might not happen only if studies were prioritized rather than having relationships with the opposite sex. No premarital sex, no early pregnancy. Worst thing about this is that it is the child that will suffer. If not aborted, they are dumped by their biological parents.

Another factor is the family break-up. Family break-ups happen after a long period of misunderstandings, fighting and unhappiness. Sometimes they happen suddenly and it is hard to understand why there needs to be change at all. Children are mostly affected by this kind of situation. If both their mother and father decided to a divorce and one cannot raise their child alone, tendency is that they will dump their child. This child will become homeless and found himself alone.

Poverty is also another factor that causes child dumping. Persons in cultures with poor social welfare systems who are not financially capable of taking care of a child are more likely to dump him/her. Political conditions, such as difficulty in adoption proceedings, may also contribute to child dumping, as can the lack of institutions, such as orphanages, to take in children whom their parents cannot support. Societies with strong social structures and liberal adoption laws tend to have lower rates of child dumping. Psychologists believe that even short-term dumping can damage a childs emotional and social development. Even short separations could have a negative effect on the childs ability to form close relationships, said Dr Michael Boulton, a child psychologist at the University of Keele. Babies often form attachments with their mother before birth. They know their mothers smell and turn to them when anxious or distressed. If they suddenly find they have gone it can be very damaging.

Dr Boulton said that mothers who dump their children normally do so under desperate circumstances. Having ones first child is the most stressful experience someone can go through. Young mothers can be vulnerable, especially if they are alone and do not have

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the experience or social support to cope.

PREVENTION

Long-term solutions to the problem of baby dumping require efforts at prevention. Steps must be taken to prevent unwanted pregnancies, provide assistance to parents in crisis, and increase communication within families and communities.

Sexuality Education

Baby dumping presumably results from unwanted pregnancy. To prevent baby dumping, it is therefore ultimately necessary to educate individuals about sexuality. We supports age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education, and recommends that schools and communities provide comprehensive sexuality education to all youth and families.

Responding to Unwanted Pregnancy

Individuals experiencing unwanted pregnancies must receive support and services. Communities should examine their capacity to provide the range of supports and services needed by individuals experiencing unwanted pregnancies. These services must also be publicized; people cannot use services that they do not know about. Finally, education efforts should strive to increase communication among youth, families, and communities. Increased communication may minimize the shame and secrecy associated with an unwanted pregnancy and make young people more likely to take advantage of supports and services in their families and communities.

http://hussain-english.blogspot.com/