DEFICIENT WELFARE FOR CHILDREN

Experts say the situation reveals deficient children's welfare in the country, as most abandoned infants have severe or difficult-to-treat diseases.

Xu Jiu, head of the Guangzhou Social Welfare Institution, said that 79 babies were received in the first 15 days after a baby hatch was set up in the city on Jan. 28, most of them younger than one year old.

Some of the babies were covered in medical tubing, and some had hospital records tucked in their clothes indicating their severe illnesses or disabilities, such as Down syndrome or cerebral palsy. Most of the parents left brief notes or cash along with the infants indicating that they had no choice but to abandon their children.

According to Ji Gang, another staff member of the CCCWA, 99 percent of babies left at hatches have illnesses or disabilities. Their parents are afraid of becoming impoverished as they cannot afford expensive medical bills and fees for special education.

"It shows the lack of welfare for children," said Ji Gang, who added that the government should take into consideration the comprehensive welfare of children with physical or intellectual disabilities, including medical treatment, care and rehabilitation.

Only with a sustainable system and governmental assistance can the government address parents' concerns and reduce the number of abandoned children, Ji said.

MPROVED WELFARE SYSTEM NEEDED

Baby hatches provide basic protection for abandoned infants, but they are only the first step in caring for abandoned babies given the incomplete system for children's welfare, said Tong Lihua, head of a Beijing legal aid and study center for adolescents.

"We need a comprehensive system to better protect them," Tong said.

Tong added that children are not only the responsibility of the parents but also of society and the state, so the government should help parents in protecting and raising children.

Li Bo said a medical insurance system for children with major illnesses should be established, while related systems to help children with major illnesses and disabilities should be improved.

In the meantime, Li called for strengthened guidance and checks during pregnancy so as to lower the birth defect rate.

Tong said China should study other countries' laws on protecting children's rights and build its own system to protect minors while taking into account China's realities.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs is now studying a welfare system to support families of children with illness or disabilities. The system would subsidize those families and reduce their taxes in order to prevent them from abandoning their children.