Social Welfare to put out cradles for abandoned babies

Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, Nov. 19: To address the problem of illegal child adoption practices in the Naga society, the child protection services of the department of Social Welfare has launched a unique childcare service christened the ‘Cradle of Hope’—cradles will be placed at strategic locations where a mother wishing to give up her infant can place it in the cradle for the authorities to take into care.
The department has also released a book, ‘Naga Customary Practices of Child Adoption,’ as part of its childcare service. A programme marking the two events was conducted at the Tourist Lodge in Dimapur, on Nov. 19.
Advisor to the department of Social Welfare Noke Wangnao launched Cradle of Hope. He released the book also.
Chubainla Jamir, director of the Child Protection Services of Nagaland, said in her address that the service ‘aims to address and prevent rampant abandonment and negligence of children, reducing their exposure to harm and risks.’
The service is a pilot project, Jamir said. 90 strategic locations such as police stations, hospitals, public health care centres, Anganwadi centres, and child care institutions among others, are said to have been identified in Dimapur district. The cradles will be placed at the strategic locations linking them with the district child protection units and child welfare committees, and under the observation and responsibility of village ward child protection committees.
“Anyone who wants to surrender their child can do so in anonymity and also in a responsible manner that the children can be sent to loving homes,” Jamir said.
K Ela, the director of nongovernmental welfare organisation Prodigals Home, gave an overview of the book. She said that the book was compiled from contributions by representatives of tribal communities in Nagaland who documented their respective customary child adoption practices.
In the present times, Ela said, a child is neither adopted in accordance with true traditional Naga customary laws nor according to the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) Adoption Regulations of 2017. Caught at a point between two legal systems, adopted children are victimised for life in most cases. She maintained there to be rampant child rights violations in the name of adoption, which can create long term complications for the child, family, and society.
The book documents customary child adoption practices of 15 tribes of Nagaland. It aims to offer insights and understanding about child adoption as was practiced traditionally. It also aims to address issues of adoption in culturally sensitive and acceptable manner keeping the best interest of children as the chief priority.