More and more babies aged 2 or younger are being abandoned by their parents, data showed Wednesday, reflecting what some claim are negative socioeconomic stereotypes unwed Korean mothers face in childrearing and changes made to adoption laws in 2012.
Police statistics disclosed by opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy lawmaker Rep. You Dae-woon said 225 babies were abandoned in 2013 nationwide ― more than four times the number from 2009 when 52 babies were reported abandoned. Almost 40 percent of the babies were born from parents in their teens or early 20s, data showed.
It is suspected that amendments made in 2012 to adoption laws and a still-prevalent negative stereotype against single moms in Korea may have contributed most to the increase in deserted infants.
In August 2012, lawmakers strengthened adoption laws to protect infants from human trafficking crimes and child abuse. The changes tightened obligations for adoption agencies to receive permission from courts to go ahead with child transfers. Before the amendments, adoptive parents simply reported an adoption.
The new laws may have helped the government protect children during adoptions, experts said, but unwed mothers who were hesitant to leave behind records of illegitimate childbirth may have increasingly chosen to abandon the babies.
The new laws make it easier for single moms to erase their illegitimate childbirth records if courts approve an adoption of the child to new parents. But experts argue that unwed moms are forced to cope on their own if courts deny adoption applications.
The social and economic odds against unwed mothers include difficulty in marrying as Korean men are seen favoring marrying women without children, let alone illegitimate infants. Economically, they struggle with finding jobs, as they often quit school after childbirth. The Confucian culture still dominant in Korea reinforces the stereotype that childbirth out of wedlock is irresponsible.
Children of unwed mothers comprise more than 66 percent of those who are given up for adoption in Korea, according to tallies by the Korea Health and Welfare Information Service in May. The KHWIS report did not count children who have been abandoned.
“The responsibility to protect the lives of these babies rests with the government,” Yoo said. “Coming up with a comprehensive solution to the issue is urgent.”
“Strengthening sex education and teaching the ethics of parenthood in secondary schools could be a start,” he said.
By Jeong Hunny (hj257@heraldcorp.com)
