The Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, Hannah Yeoh has released a statement that from 2010 to 2017, about 945 babies were abandoned and 64% of them were found dead after being left in public places including toilets and garbage areas.
Female teenagers, especially those who became pregnant out of wedlock, were urged not to dump their babies but instead hand them over to the authorities because they had a strong chance of being saved and adopted.
Source: Malay Mail
At the moment, there are over 1,000 married couples in the Social Welfare Department’s waiting list to adopt a child. Hannah Yeoh explained,
“Our main focus now is to save the babies because they are innocent and their lives are priceless. Female teenagers who give birth out of wedlock can get help by calling the Talian Kasih number 15999 and the department will go to wherever they are to see how they can be helped.”
Source: FMT
Between January and May of this year, there have already 65 cases of babies being abandoned, with three states having the highest numbers; 13 cases in Johor, 11 cases in Selangor, and five cases in Kedah.
However, according to the Health Ministry, the number of babies born out of wedlock in Malaysia for youths between the age of 10 and 19 has dropped from 18,000 to 10,501 cases.
If you know anyone out there who currently face such situations, please advise them to hand over their child to the authorities to ensure the safety of the child.
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