Poor response to Mamatheya Thottilu; only two infants surrendered in cradles across the state in a year

Despite encouraging people to safely surrender infants in Mamatheya Thottilu rather than abandoning them in garbage, buses, trains or other places, the programme has received poor response.

According to data, Mamatheya Thottilu has received only two infants in the past one year. One infant was in Tumakuru and the other one in Mysuru.

Arundhati T.S., Deputy Director, State Adoption Resource Agency (SARA), said, “Two infants were found in Tumakuru and Mysuru. After a legal process involving the police, Child Welfare Committee, doctors and other stakeholders, the infants’ details were updated on the website to find potential parents for adoption. Parents who register on the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) portal can see the details of the infants.”

Ms. Arundhati explained, “The reason for a poor response is a lack of awareness among people and fear of their identity being revealed. Most of the cradles that we have placed are in district government hospitals, child care institutions and District Child Protection offices. We receive infants found in front of temples, government hospitals, petrol bunks, bus stations, railway stations. But people fear surrendering them in cradles. There are 46 such cradles placed across the State.”

When asked whether an FIR would be booked against those who surrender the child in Mamatheya Thottilu or other places, Ms. Arundhati said, “It is not about filing an FIR or punishing them. We trace the mother or parents or guardians to find out their reasons for abandoning the baby and register the child for adoption after following a protocol and getting a birth certificate for the baby within a particular time window. The police do not file an FIR under the Juvenile Justice Act 2015 in such cases. But it depends on different cases and the reasons for abandoning the child.”

Lack of awareness

Vasudev Sharma, child rights activist, said, “It is disappointing to read news of young girls giving birth to babies in toilets without being able to express it to their parents and teachers. The reason being a lack of sex education at schools and programmes like Mamatheya Thottilu. Not just school girls, such cases are noticed among unwed women. Due to fear of parents, they don’t reveal affairs and pregnancy. When they give birth, babies are abandoned in unsafe places. Hence, there should be awareness created among people about this programme.”