Baby hatch plans halted in Urumqi, Zhengzhou over staffing woes

Urumqi and another mainland city have decided to postpone plans to open “baby hatches”, or havens for abandoned children, over the lack of staff and facilities.

Children’s Welfare Centres in the Xinjiang capital as well as in Zhengzhou city in Henan province, were supposed to open next month, China National Radio reports.

But Hou Xiaoxue, director of the Zhengzhou centre, said they could not hire enough people to take care of the infants despite several months of recruiting.

It was the latest setback in the government’s initiative to expand the number of baby hatches nationwide until the end of next year, so that parents unable to care for the infants can leave them in safer hands.

The first “baby safety island” was opened successfully in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, more than two years ago. The Ministry of Civil Affairs announced the expansion project in July last year, drawing praise for saving hundreds of babies’ lives but also triggering fierce criticism for reportedly encouraging parents to abandon their children.

Abandonment, if not done with a care centre, is prosecutable by law.