Human life is sacred. All religions, cultures and norms value the preservation of life. The United Nation’s Charter for Human Rights guarantees the protection of life and thus criminalizes the taking of it.
Even the embryo is protected by law and except in extreme circumstances, even abortion is illegal. This shows that the taking of a life is indeed a heinous action. It is the worst kind of evil.
Of late, however, it has become so common to hear of a baby being dumped that one shudders to even think about it. Every now and again we hear stories of babies found dumped in remote areas and left there to die. One can’t imagine how a human being who has a conscience can take the life of a newly born baby? How do such people sleep at night?
What are the reasons that cause a woman to do such horrible things? Firstly, it is important to lay the blame where it belongs. The girl/woman who engages in sex outside wedlock [sometimes even in wedlock] until she gets an unwanted pregnancy, is the prime bearer of the blame. If caught, such a person should face the full force of the law.
Again, there are other factors like rape. If a girl or woman is raped and she accidentally becomes pregnant, the rapist should bear the brunt of the responsibility and should be punished severely. Such a person should not be allowed to live freely in our society.
Some parents also contribute – perhaps unwittingly – to the issue of baby dumping. When a parent has the unfortunate incident of his/her girl child getting impregnated, such a parent should be reasonable enough to know that certain harsh actions will only push the girl away or to do some horrible thing.
The Gambia used to be a conservative society. Not anymore it seems. We must come together as a nation to try and sort out the deficiency in our morals. Let the preachers preach about the sanctity of life, condemn immoral sexual behavior and spread love and dignity for children. Let teachers tell their students about morality.
Let every father and mother instil good habits in their children and show them love and care. In this way, we can curb the menace of baby dumping.
