Goa child rights body issues advisory to govt depts over cases of abandoned infants

The commission has asked the directorate of women and child development to ensure that specialised adoption agencies in Goa set up cradles to receive abandoned children

A child rights body in Goa on October 31 issued an advisory to various agencies of the State Government about the rise in cases of infants being abandoned at unsafe places, an official said.

The Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has issued an advisory to the directorate of women and child welfare, health department and Goa police to help parents in distress to surrender their infants.

“The recent incidences of newborn abandonment in Goa, most of it in unsafe places recently, is very perturbing,” the commission stated in the advisory.

It noted that the State had recorded 11 such cases in five years (2017-2022), and four of these were registered this year alone.

Of the cases reported this year, three abandoned infants succumbed to gory aftermaths of unsafe abandonments, ranging from dog bites to infections due to garbage, etc., the advisory stated.

"There is a need for greater prevention efforts and actions for the protection of children by all stakeholders for the future. This preparedness and actions will require close-coordinated, multi-sectoral, and collaborative efforts between all stakeholders,” it said.

The commission's chairman Peter Borges said that the lack of awareness about the law on surrendering unwanted children is a major reason for the issue.