Morung Express News
Dimapur | November 19
‘Cradle of Hope,’ a pilot project of the Child Protection Services Nagaland has been finally put into place to give a ray of hope to abandoned newborn babies to see the light of day.
In the state’s commercial hub Dimapur, 90 strategic locations including police stations, hospitals, public health care centres, anganwadi centres and child care institutions have been identified and cradles will be placed in these crucial points, which will be linked with the District Child Protection Unit, Child Welfare Committee and Childline under the protection and responsibility of the village/ward Child Protection Committee.
Anyone in distress and who wants to surrender her/his newborn baby can do so in anonymity and in a responsible manner by placing the child in the cradle so that the child can be sent to loving homes.
“This initiative aims to address and prevent rampant abandonment and negligence of children thus reducing their exposure to harm and risks”, said director, Child Protection Services Nagaland, Chubainla Jamir, in her keynote address at the launching programme of Cradle of Hope in Dimapur on Monday.
Advisor, Social Welfare, Home Guards & Civil Defence, Noke Wangnao, officially launched the Cradle of Hope project and also released a book titled ‘Naga customary practices of child adoption’, initiated and compiled by Prodigals’ Home.
Chubainla said children everywhere, at every social and economic level are at the risk of abuse, exploitation or deliberate deprivation and abandonment and that over the years, there has been a steady increase in numbers of abandoned babies in Nagaland.
“We have cases of babies found in drainages, trash bins and jungles etc….abandonment of babies could be because of various reasons such as unplanned pregnancy, poverty, alcohol and substance abuse or because of lack of knowledge and ignorance on the part of the parents that there are alternative ways in which they can surrender their child, give hope and future in a responsible and legal procedure”, she said.
Chubainla expressed hope that the initiatives (Cradle of Hope and book) of the department would go a long way to effectively implement and coordinate appropriate services for children, and also strengthen the community as a whole with the knowledge and skills and avenues to protect children.
Director, Department of Social Welfare, T Merangtsüngba Aier, said Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) had requested all the state governments to set up at least one specialized adoption agency (SAA) in each district, which might involve a lot of expenses. He said Cradle of Hope project could be a cost effective solution as every child received through this project will be directly linked to the nearest SAA through child welfare committee.
“Cradle of Hope hopes that by providing a viable option to newborn abandonment, shall also give the mother to make a responsible decision, a decision that can save a life”, Aier said.
