COLOMBO – Adopting an 18th century practice given new life in South Africa and Germany in the 1990s, the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) is to set up ‘infant receiving windows’ in nine major hospitals in the nine provinces to help mothers of unwanted children leave them in a safe place.
In a statement issued yesterday (20), the NCPA said the facility was being introduced to prevent mothers of from abandoning their unwanted newborns or children aged below 1, at various and often unsafe places.
The statement said necessary steps were being taken to set up the ‘windows’ in proximity to the paediatric wards in 9 major hospitals, to receive the unwanted infants and children.
Separately, the NCPA said investigations have been expedited investigations into the complaints regarding child abuse, and measures have been taken to arrest those found guilty. It also said its Complaint Update and Management Digital System (CUMS) had been completed and it was in the process of developing the Police Complaint Update and Management Digital System – (Police CUMS.
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