Post date: Jul 14, 2013 6:18:11 PM
A poverty-stricken mother of a yet-to-be born child in India's northern state of Haryana, attempts to sell her baby by releasing newspaper advertisements in the guise of adoption.
YAMUNANAGAR, HARYANA, INDIA (JULY 14, 2013) (ANI) - Poverty has reportedly driven a mother of a yet-to-be born child to offer her baby for sale on the pretext of adoption in India's northern state of Haryana.
The mother who has proposed to barter her child has been identified as Mamata, a housewife in Yamunanagar, the industrial city in the province and she released advertisement in the local newspapers about the offer.In the newspaper advertisements released by her, she termed her proposal as a mode of adoption.
Already a mother of three children, she shared her views about her proposal with the media on Sunday (July 14).
Presently, Mamata is said to be in her advanced stage of eighth-month pregnancy of the fourth child.
Her husband hauls a rickshaw and he is the sole earning member in the family that resides in a rented accommodation.
"I decided to give away this child (unborn) because I am frustrated with the present financial condition of our family. I don't even have flour to prepare roti (food) in my home. We hardly have anything to eat. Moreover, the increasing expenses are a major issue for us," said Mamata in frustration.
She justified her act by saying that she was doing so as to ensure a better future for her children and husband.
This incidence had drawn flak from Childline India Foundation, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), working for children, in the region.
Director of this NGO, Anju Bajpai, perceived this to be an unlawful attempt to auction or sell one's child.
She contended that if the parents are incapable of providing proper care to a child, they have no right to produce a baby.
"If you don't have the capability to rear your child, then you don't even have the right to give birth to another baby. I will not call this an appeal for adoption. This is a case of child being auctioned by its mother. This is an offence under the Prevention of Child Trafficking Act. One cannot even advertise for adoption in newspapers. The Adoption Act of our country allows the adoption process to happen under the supervision of several federal and provincial government agencies. This advertisement is illegal and the newspaper, which has published it, is also guilty," said Anju Bajpai.
She said, Childline had even lodged a complaint with the police against Mamata for violation of the prevailing adoption law.
Meanwhile, the district administration admitted of having initiated necessary action in the matter.
In response to a poser from the media, the District Collector of Yamunanagar, K M Pandurang said an inquiry had been ordered to ascertain relevant facts in the case.
"We have learnt about this case that a woman advertised in a newspaper that she wants to sell off her child. When people contacted her on her cell phone, she had demanded money. I have asked the SP (Superintendent of Police) and PO, ICDS (Programme Officer of Integrated Child Development Cell) to launch an inquiry based on the guidelines mentioned Adoption Act in our country," said Pandurang.
India has 33 percent of the world's poorest 1.2 billion people, even though the country's poverty rate is half as high as it was three decades ago, according to a new World Bank report.