Baby Dumping
NEWS FOCUS Two young lovers pleaded guilty in a Malacca magistrate's court to abandoning a baby girl at a factory in Ayer Keroh this week. That was just one of many such cases of baby dumping reported recently and it has raised concern among the authorities.
Lately, there have been reports of baby dumpings in a number of places.
According to a Bernama report, three babies were found each in Kelantan, Malacca and Kuala Lumpur last week and a baby girl with the umbilical cord still intact was found in Kota Damansara over the weekend.
The Star reported that one 29-year-old man and 26-year-old unemployed woman were detained last Friday by police for dumping a newborn baby girl at Air Kuning in Gemencheh.
An increase in the number of abandoned baby cases has been acknowledged by the police. Bukit Aman CID Director Mohd Bakri Zinin said this year alone 65 baby dumping cases were reported.
"Last year 79 such cases were reported but this year, within the first eight months, 65 cases were reported and it is very disappointing," he told reporters.
Mohd Bakri said statistics showed that from 2005 to yesterday, 472 babies were abandoned throughout the country, of which, 258 were dead and 214 were still alive.
What are the steps to be taken to prevent such cases from recurring? Is there a deterrent to discourage young people from committing this offence?
According to Mohd Bakri, the police would classify abandoned baby cases under Section 302 of the Penal Code (murder) and under Section 307 (attempted murder).
Those found responsible for babies who die would be investigated for murder while abandoned babies found alive would be classified and investigated as attempted murder.
This was followed by the Cabinet's decision to accept Minister for Women, Family and Community Development Shahrizat Abdul Jalil's proposal to charge anyone who dumped their babies and causing the infant's death be investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for
Lately, there have been reports of baby dumpings in a number of places.
According to a Bernama report, three babies were found each in Kelantan, Malacca and Kuala Lumpur last week and a baby girl with the umbilical cord still intact was found in Kota Damansara over the weekend.
The Star reported that one 29-year-old man and 26-year-old unemployed woman were detained last Friday by police for dumping a newborn baby girl at Air Kuning in Gemencheh.
An increase in the number of abandoned baby cases has been acknowledged by the police. Bukit Aman CID Director Mohd Bakri Zinin said this year alone 65 baby dumping cases were reported.
"Last year 79 such cases were reported but this year, within the first eight months, 65 cases were reported and it is very disappointing," he told reporters.
Mohd Bakri said statistics showed that from 2005 to yesterday, 472 babies were abandoned throughout the country, of which, 258 were dead and 214 were still alive.
What are the steps to be taken to prevent such cases from recurring? Is there a deterrent to discourage young people from committing this offence?
According to Mohd Bakri, the police would classify abandoned baby cases under Section 302 of the Penal Code (murder) and under Section 307 (attempted murder).
Those found responsible for babies who die would be investigated for murder while abandoned babies found alive would be classified and investigated as attempted murder.
This was followed by the Cabinet's decision to accept Minister for Women, Family and Community Development Shahrizat Abdul Jalil's proposal to charge anyone who dumped their babies and causing the infant's death be investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for