UNMIK ON AIR

28 November 2003

“Abandoned Babies”

(By Valon Syla)

Hello and Welcome to UNMIK on Air

One of the biggest social problems in Kosovo today is the issue of abandoned babies. According to professionals in this field the main reason for this occurrence are the social economic status and the low level of education of their natural parents. Because of this a considerable number of babies are left alone in the public hospitals without family care and in some cases without elementary living conditions. Nusha a nurse in Prishtina Hospital explains.

Nusha: On an average, one baby is abandoned almost every three days in our hospital; after giving birth, some of the mothers meet with the social worker to register their babies as abandoned, and in some cases the mother simply escapes, leaving the baby in the hospital without giving any notice to us”

According to the Ministry of Social Welfare, around 65 babies are abandoned by their mothers each year. The average age of their natural parents is estimated to be very young, between18 and 25. In one case, says Agron Bacaj the spokesman of the Ministry of the Social Welfare, the mother was only 13 years old.

Agron Bacaj: According to the research that was done by the Institute of Social Policy it is estimated that that the main reason for mothers to abandon their babies, is due to the difficult socio-economic conditions in Kosovo. The other cause is the low level of education of the mothers.”

The ethnic origin of the abandoned babies is mixed - Albanian, Serb, Turk and Roma. According to the Ministry of Social Welfare, before the war there were more Serbian and Roma babies abandoned in public hospitals, but today the bulk are Albanian.

In some cases says the report, the mothers’ origin seemed to be from Eastern Europe, especially from Moldova, women who were trafficked to Kosovo. In other cases, the origin of the babies is unknown because their mothers escaped from the hospital without letting anyone know. Agron Bacaj again.

Agron Bacaj: “From 1999 until 2002, our estimates show that 229 babies were abandoned. From this number, 131 children were adopted by different families in Kosovo and 73 others have been taken in by volunteer families. Other children still remain in the children’s’ home, SOS Kinderdorf in Kosovo”

Some babies strike lucky – a rare occurrence, but a few children are eventually accepted by their natural parents, and this is something the social centers want to encourage. For them, the best-case scenario is for babies to be reunited with their biological parents before a different family shows an interest in adopting the child. To date, 25 children have been returned to their parents.

Agron Bacaj: “According to the report the occurrence of abandoned babies is being reduced day by day, this is particularly the case for the year 2002. We believe that if the level of education is advanced, there will be an automatic reduction in the number of babies being abandoned. We should focus our efforts on primary schools and introduce classes on sexual education from the 8^th or 9 class. This way, pupils will be more aware of the risks of early pregnancy”

Before 1999, abandoned babies were left for months, sometimes years in hospitals leaving the nurses to care for them. Invariably, the babies ended up in an orphanage, where living conditions were generally bad.

Things have changed since then - UNMIK and the Ministry of Social Welfare have built special institutions to cater to the needs of these unfortunate children. Much care has been taken to ensure that these shelters look like normal houses and homes with adequate living conditions. Social worker Hasan Zeka coordinates the various social centers in Pristina.

Hasan Zeka: “We have some houses where we temporarily shelter the abandoned children. Usually we take these children from the hospitals and accommodate them in the house, and to ensure that they have the conditions for normal health as well as mental and physical development.”

SOS Kinderdorf, which shelters around 23 children, is one example – but more such initiatives are needed to cope with this growing scourge of unwanted babies. All the abandoned children deserve to have a family and if amongst our listeners, there are any who want to adopt a child, contact the nearest social center. They will advise you what to do.

This was all for today’s UNMIK on Air program, thanks for listening.