Baby drop safes: are they really saving our newborns
Heart matters

Baby drop safes: are they really saving our newborns?

South Africa, we have a problem. Well, we have a few problems, but I’m not here to nitpick the state of the nation. I’m here to ask you guys how we are still finding newborn babies in rubbish bins when we’re (supposedly) putting all the preventative measures in place to make sure that this doesn’t happen?!

Now, teenage pregnancy rates and the sexual promiscuity of our young people aside (that is another topic for another day, when the very thought of not preserving innocence for as long as possible doesn’t infuriate me), I realise that our current problem of finding dead babies in rubbish heaps have become a shocking norm.

I mean, you guys, 65% of abandoned kids in South Africa are newborns. According to IOL, 90% of abandoned children are under the age of one years old. Read this and squirm: “The findings suggested that a child born in South Africa is at the highest risk of being killed during its first six days of life.” 

What are we doing wrong? And, if the answer is “uhhh nothing, it’s not OUR fault, cheenie” then my next question is: Are we doing enough to stop this behavior? 

I was mildly thrilled to read articles about new “baby drop safes” that had been installed across our metro. Yes, I used the words “mildly thrilled” because, honestly, it’s a great idea, but I don’t know how effective it’s going to be. (Well, judging by the fact that we’re still finding babies in dirt bins, I’m going to go on a gander and say “not very”)

Now, I know, gasp, how dare I say that the baby drop safe idea is not effective?! Surely it’s better than nothing, right?

Baby drop safes: are they really saving our newborns

But guys, hear me out, I’m not totally blind sided here. I’ve been a teenage mom. I know what it’s like to be the bearer of an unwanted pregnancy and wonder how the heck you can “get rid” of the problem. I mean, if I didn’t have a loving support system and a boyfriend who actually loved me and my baby, I’m not sure how our story would have ended.

But I do know that if I were a scared teenager, having just given unassisted birth in an undisclosed location, with no witnesses/help close by, the last thing I would want to do is take a walk/public transport with my “unwanted” newborn in my arms, hoping that no one sees as I drop him off in a baby safe.

There are just too many factors that will work against this. For starters, you’re bleeding, probably lactating already and surely you’re in pain. Secondly, you want to try to keep the baby quiet (because, yes even though it’s a precious life, at that point you are not in your right state of mind and the baby is evidence that you need to dispose of), so travelling with the child may seem like a really bad idea. And lastly, you might not even have the means to transport the child to safety… your clothes may be bloodied… your emotions all over the place. Suddenly dropping your baby off, at a baby safe, feels like the most difficult thing to do.

I mean, honestly, not that we want to make these things easy but, we kinda DO want to make these things easy. And as wonderful as a baby safe may sound (you know, like in Danielle Steel books and on Hallmark movies etc), when you’re a frantic new mother, not sure of what to do to dispose of the “evidence” of just having a kid, finding transport (and strength) to travel to another location, with baby, is the last thing on your mind.

We are often outraged by the very thought that a mother would want to dispose of her baby. And rightly so… it goes against our very nature, as human beings. But as I lay in bed last night, reading about another new life, snuffed out, before it even had a fighting chance, I couldn’t help but wonder what would have made it easier for the mother to get that baby to safety. What could we have done to help that mother baby?

Perhaps an SMS/Whatsapp line, offering a veil of anonymity, where the mom could send a simple message to let authorities know where she left her baby? Perhaps a team of “baby collectors” who would be on high alert at all times, ready to find these abandoned babies, once they’ve received a message? Perhaps the opportunity for the mother to find help, should she be faced with guilt and regret a few days later… I mean, the SMS line could save a lot more than the baby’s life, yo.

I don’t know. I don’t have all the answers. But I do know that we need to start coming up with some, because our babies are dying before they’ve even had the opportunity to be loved, and that breaks my heart.

Disclaimer: Yes, Martha, I know, it is inhumane and cruel to abandon your baby and surely you could have enough decency to get it to a baby safe and blah blah blah. But this post isn’t here to solve the moral dilemma of moms who abandon  their kids. This post is here to encourage conversation around how we can help to save those babies before it’s too late. 

2 Comments

  • Megan Keith

    Oh I have so many thoughts on this! My heart for years has been to set up something to help guide and help moms, so that they don’t feel like their only option is to abandon their babies. And then we adopted our son. And our eyes have been opened to so much regarding abandoned babies and the moms who feel their only option is to abandon their baby. I also work for an NGO who has a network of Care families that care for orphaned and abandoned babies until they’re adopted. While working for this NGO, I have learnt that baby safes are, in fact, illegal, as it is a criminal offense to abandon your baby, and baby safes “encourage” abandonment. There are so many angles to this topic. I so totally agree that conversations need to be had and answers need to be found sooner rather than later. So keen to chat more on this. Thanks for sharing! Megan xx

  • Andrea Thomas

    What a great article! Can I say that I enjoyed reading it?! Sounds wrong! Babies are close to my heart; I had no idea that baby safes are illegal! You would think you are doing something to protect these previous tiny beings! Interesting! I am going to forward this article to a Social Work friend of mine. I think “a hot line” of sorts sounds like an excellent idea (at least a start). I agree with you that a woman who just gave birth will not be in the right frame of mind to make a choice and possibly regrets the choices she makes in the “heat” of the moment! Keep me posted for any “chat movements” happening (And it will happen) around this topic! I am interested to join in (action)!

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