Baby hatches in China close as too many infants abandoned

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2015-03-29

A baby hatch in Jinan, Shandong province, June 2014. (File photo/CFP)

Several Chinese "baby safety islands" for unwanted children in Guangzhou, Jinan and Xiamen have been closed or have suspended operations temporarily because local welfare centers could not cope with the number of arrivals, the Beijing News reports.

A baby hatch, or "baby safety island" in Chinese, allows a parent to leave their unwanted child in a temperature-controlled room equipped with a cradle and incubator. Once placed in the hatch an alarm alerts the authorities to come and retrieve the child.

Zhejiang's first such center reportedly tried to restrict the way it took in children by only allowing for orphans and abandoned babies.

One official at the baby center in Quxhou, Zhejiang province said the agency is not closing but moving to a children's welfare center to better take care of the children. Meanwhile, the center has transformed itself into a baby rescue, government propaganda and consulting organization.

Since Shijiazhuang in Hebei province set up the nation's first baby hatch in June 2011, as of June 2014 there were a total of 32 such test-run safety islands in 16 provinces or cities, and together they had received 1,400 abandoned infants.

Statistics showed that the baby hatches in Guangzhou, Nanjing and Shijiazhuang had received 100-200 abandoned infants respectively within months of their opening, bringing a heavy workload to the centers and resulting in the closure or suspended operations.

In January 2014, Guangzhou opened a baby hatch and took in 262 abandoned infants within two months, with the city government swiftly announcing the closure of the center, saying the number of babies had exceeded its limit.

Xiamen's baby hatch has operated for one year and has taken in nearly 300 abandoned infants in that time, most of whom have illnesses or disabilities. Such babies would require expensive service and delicate care, resulting in great financial and manpower challenges for the center. Now the Xiamen center has temporarily closed.

The baby hatches in Shijiazhuang, Xi'an and Tianjin said they remain open, though officials there declined to give more details.