T

he abandonment of babies remains an unfortunate practice that continues to plague life in the capital.

Last week alone, the Jakarta Social Agency handled two cases on a single day in which one baby was found in a small alley in Palmerah, West Jakarta, and another under a pile of trash in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta.

The act of dumping one’s own child seems unthinkable, yet the continuing reports of abandoned babies in Jakarta do not show signs of abating anytime soon.

According to data from Indonesian Police Watch (IPW), 178 newborns were abandoned by their parents in 2017, a 90 percent increase from 2016.

Out of 178 infants, 79 died while 10 fetuses were aborted and dumped on the streets, head of IPW Neta S. Pane said in January as reported by tribunnews.com.

With 27 reported cases in Jakarta, the capital saw the most babies abandoned last year, he added.

A sociologist from Jakarta State University (UNJ) Robertus Robet pointed to rigid societal norms on pre-marital sex, moral pressure from deeply ingrained traditional family values and lack of financial support as the main factors that drove people to abandon their babies.

“Pre-marital sex is still a taboo subject around here,” Robertus told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

“Young couples who have children outside of marriage are stigmatized by their families and society.”

The stigma, he added, tended to impose psychological pressure on the young couples. As a result, they abandoned their children in order to be accepted again by society, he said, adding that deeply ingrained traditional family values only amplified the moral pressure experienced by young couples.

“Traditional family values dictate that you are only allowed to marry the opposite sex and have children after, not before, marriage,” Robertus explained. “These notions tend to alienate young couples who have babies outside of wedlock. They become outcasts in a society that is very much entrenched in traditional family values.”

Since young couples are often still in school and lack a steady source of income, they are financially troubled, he added.

“They then dump their babies since they think that one less mouth to feed would ease their financial woes,” he said.

Robertus called on the government and religious communities to offer support and counseling to young couples who had children outside of marriage, saying that the lack of alternative options left them with no other choice but to forego their children.

“From what I have seen, the government has yet to provide facilities or institutions that offer support and counseling to young couples,” he said. “Due to this lack of support, they tend to seek a quick way out, either by abortion or dumping their babies.”

Religious communities should also offer support and counseling to young couples, Robertus added.

“Do not just impose [social] punishments on their [supposed] wrongdoings, but help solve their problems,” he said.

Religious institutions should practice their social function, instead of only playing judge, jury and executioner in responding to social problems, Robertus said.

“Young couples should be able to turn to religion for emotional support,” he said.

In the case of an abandoned infant, the Jakarta Social Agency has a mitigation protocol in place.

According to the head of the agency’s information and data division, Miftahul Huda, the agency’s personnel took the abandoned babies to the nearest community health center (Puskesmas) whenever they received a report.

“It is important to make sure the baby is healthy,” he told the Post. “And then we coordinate with the police to find whoever dumped the baby.”

If the baby is healthy, they will then be taken to a government-funded orphanage in Cipayung, East Jakarta.

“The orphanage will see that the baby is taken care of,” he said.

Miftahul added that, since parents are essential to the growth and well-being of babies, adoption is a viable option.

“Those who are looking to adopt the babies do not immediately adopt them,” he explained. “They have to prove to us first that they are able to take care of the babies properly.”

The trial phase would go on for several months he said. During the trial, social workers would occasionally drop by to evaluate the performance of future adopters.

“This is all to make sure that these babies will not be abandoned again by their new parents,” he said. (rfa)