08 July 2010

Hospital Forces Mother to Sell Child...Indonesia

Are you kidding me?

This is a crime, is it not? By my reckoning the Child Protection Law (No. 23 of 2002) would prohibit the buying and selling of children for any purpose. The idea of buying a child would also be in violation of the provisions of Law No. 21 of 2007 on Human Trafficking.

A hospital has forced a mother of twins to sell one of the twins to a hospital employee in order for her to pay her bills. This is just so wrong on so many levels. The fact that the hospital condones this as a method of paying patient medical expenses is criminal. All those involved must be punished to the fullest extent permissible under the applicable law. If there is no laws that make this kind of action criminally punishable, then parliament needs to focus on this issue immediately and put a legal framework in place that makes it impossible for hospitals and hospital staff to take advantage of, and exploit, the poor in this way.

I find myself shaking my head and thinking, why do seemingly educated people working in hospitals think that this is OK?

Let's "Save the Children"

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi Rob,
It is very disgusting.
I've heard a mother offering her baby to other people so that she can pay hospital charges. Although cannot be accepted but can perhaps be understood. But for a hospital to force force the mother is totally beyond imagination.

Rob Baiton said...

@ Harry...

Thanks for commenting. Maybe one day my blog will be as popular as yours (I might have to do the "following" thing :D).

I was not so much disgusted, rather I found it disturbing. There was something about the idea of forcing a mother to sell one of her twins to a hospital staff member, and seemingly the hospital was complicit in the transaction, that was so wrong on so many levels that it was just something I had to vent on.

For me, it is issues like this that are so much more important to the future of Indonesia than some sex tape by some Ron Jeremy wanna be (aka Ariel).

The selling of "your" children is the selling of "your" collective future. There is just something really offensive in that concept for me as a parent.

Tikno said...

Public health insurance for the poor needs to be improved or re-discussed.

Tikno said...

Rob, whether the case similar like this ever happened in Australia. If not, then perhaps the public health insurance in your country Australia is better.

Rob Baiton said...

@ Tikno...

It does and so does the information dissemination process about public health insurance.

Nope, does not happen where mothers are forced to sell their children to pay for the medical costs associated with giving birth (or more precisely, if it does, then I have not heard about it).

@ Harry...

If you are still keen to post it over at your place, then go for it. You do not need to ask my permission. I am happy for you to post whatever you want. Just tell me after the fact so I can go around to your place and check out whether anyone comments on it, and defend myself if so required ;)

Unknown said...

Thanks a lot Rob.
Baby trafficking cases always make me very sick. I never thought that anyone would have the heart to do that.

Rob Baiton said...

@ Harry...

On the followers thing. I really do not blog to be the most popular blog out there or to generate an income stream.

I do it for fun, and it provides a forum / venue for me to rant on whatever takes my fancy ;)

I have already signed up for the blog-related aggregator thingies. I did that right at the start.

The reality for me is that if people stop by and comment, good or bad, then I will try and respond. If they drop by and do not comment but enjoy reading and come back, then that is fine too. At the end of the day, if those that drop by feel humoured by what I have written or more informed (or more confused) then that is good enough for me.

I did not know that Fatih still has me listed or noted. I will have to drop by and check that out.

Thanks

Rob Baiton said...

@ Harry...

It makes me angry more than sick. But, it just goes to show, that we humans have some serious flaws. Yet, like anything else, if you were to break this down in simple economic terms, then this is a supply and demand argument.

The point being, where does the majority of the blame need to be apportioned? Should it be at the hands and feet of those who demand children or at the hands and feet of those that meet that demand with a steady supply of (trafficked) people?

It is a very chicken and egg sort of an argument, cyclical and unending!