LES « BOÎTES POUR BÉBÉ » COMME CELLE DE VANCOUVER CRITIQUÉES PAR L'ONU
13 juin 2012 à 11 h 32 HAE
http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/colombie-britannique/2012/06/13/001-chute-bebe-critiques-onu.shtml
Unique au Canada, ce genre d'installations serait en augmentation en Europe, où elles auraient peu d'effet sur la réduction du nombre d'infanticides ou d'abandon, soutient le Comité des droits de l'enfant de l'ONU
L'Organisation des Nations unies se dit préoccupée par l'augmentation du nombre d'installations aménagées pour abandonner un poupon de façon anonyme dans un établissement de santé.
En 2010, l'hôpital St Paul de Vancouver est devenu le premier établissement canadien à aménager un « berceau de l'ange » (Angel's Cradle), une installation sécuritaire et privée pour permettre aux mères en détresse d'abandonner leur enfant.
Le petit lit servant de réceptacle et accessible depuis l'extérieur devait aider à réduire le nombre d'infanticides.
Selon le Comité des droits de l'enfant des Nations unies, ce genre d'installation est de plus en plus courant en Europe, mais est pourtant dépassé et n'a aucune efficacité.
Le comité relate certains cas en Europe, où des hommes utilisent ces boîtes pour se débarrasser des enfants des femmes qu'ils utilisent pour le trafic d'esclaves sexuels.
L'opinion onusienne est appuyée par les conclusions d'une étude menée par le psychologue Kevin Browne, de l'Université de Nottingham. Selon cette étude, les « boîtes pour bébé » violent l'article 7 de la Convention relative aux droits de l'enfant, qui confèrent à celui-ci « le droit de connaître ses parents et d'être élevé par eux ».
« Il n'existe aucune preuve que ces boîtes pour bébé contribuent à réduire le nombre d'infanticides ou à réduire le nombre d'abandons »
a réitéré M. Browne.
Ce dernier a été surpris d'entendre parler de la boîte de l'hôpital St Paul à Vancouver, où seul un enfant a été recueilli depuis son ouverture.
Le psychologue s'inquiète du fait que l'anonymat conféré par la boîte signifie que le poupon n'aura pas d'historique médical familial.
Le médecin qui a fondé l'installation, Dr Geoffrey Cundiff, a plutôt soutenu que le « programme est pragmatique, même si on ignore qui sont les parents »
puisqu'il a permis de sauver au moins une vie.
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ABANDONNER ANONYMEMENT SON NOUVEAU-NÉ
29 avril 2010 à 17 h 54 HAE
http://www.radio-canada.ca/regions/colombie-britannique/2010/04/29/003-hopital-enfant-abandon.shtml
L'établissement de santé du centre-ville de la métropole aménage un endroit sécuritaire et privé pour permettre de recueillir de jeunes enfants afin de réduire le nombre d'infanticides.
L'hôpital St. Paul de Vancouver a aménagé des installations sécuritaires et privées pour permettre à des mères en détresse d'abandonner anonymement leur nouveau-né.
Dès lundi, celles qui le désirent pourront se rendre près de l'urgence de l'hôpital du centre-ville et mettre leur enfant dans un lit accessible en ouvrant de l'extérieur une petite porte. Trente secondes après, une alarme avertira les employés de la présence de l'enfant. La mère aura donc le temps de quitter les lieux sans avoir à répondre aux questions des autorités.
Par la suite, le nouveau-né sera cueilli par les employés de l'hôpital et soigné au besoin avant d'être remis au ministère de l'Enfance. La direction de l'établissement de santé explique avoir pris cette décision en raison du nombre élevé d'infanticides au cours des dernières années à Vancouver.
D'après le communiqué de l'hôpital, publié jeudi, la procédure pour l'abandon des enfants est toujours la même. Il s'agit simplement d'un endroit sécuritaire pour le nouveau-né et d'un espace anonyme pour la mère.
La direction de l'hôpital ajoute que la police de Vancouver appuie l'initiative et que les femmes qui utilisent les installations ne feront pas l'objet d'enquêtes et qu'elles ne seront pas accusées.
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'BABY BOXES' FOR ABANDONED NEWBORNS SCORNED BY UN
ONLY 'BABY BOX' IN CANADA SET UP AT ST. PAUL'S HOSPITAL IN VANCOUVER IN 2010
THE BABY BOX AT ST. PAUL'S, CALLED 'ANGEL'S CRADLE,'
Jun 13, 2012
CBC News
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/06/12/bc-baby-boxes-un-study.html
The United Nations is growing increasingly concerned about the spread of so-called "baby boxes" for abandoned newborns, such as the one at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver.
The Vancouver baby box is the only one in Canada, but the safe havens are increasingly common in Europe and UN officials say their existence is outdated and ineffective.
They are not literally boxes, but are places where a baby can be left safely and anonymously.
In some cases in Europe, men use the boxes to leave behind the babies of women forced into the sex trade.
Psychologist Kevin Browne of Britain's University of Nottingham completed a study of Europe's baby boxes, which backs a UN opinion that they violate the essential right of children to "be known and cared for" by their parents.
"There's no evidence that these baby boxes contribute to the reduction of infanticide or the reduction of abandonment," Browne said.
Browne said he was surprised to learn of the baby box at St. Paul's Hospital in downtown Vancouver, where just one child has been dropped off since its inception in 2010.
He said he worries that the anonymity of anyone who uses a box means the baby will have no medical history.
Dr. Geoffrey Cundiff, who founded the baby box at St. Paul's known as "Angel's Cradle", said the reality is that babies are abandoned all the time.
"If we can save one, to me, that is a program that is pragmatic — even if they don't know who their parents are," Cundiff said.
36 commentaires
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ANGEL'S CRADLE IN VANCOUVER GETS 1ST ABANDONED BABY
September 21, 2010
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/09/21/bc-angels-cradle-st-pauls-vancouver.html
Someone abandoned a two-day-old baby at Angel's Cradle at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver this summer — the first time the newborn drop-off facility has been accessed, the hospital said Tuesday.
The downtown hospital's program, launched in May, encourages parents to safely abandon unwanted children in a bassinet in a private alcove near the hospital's emergency entrance.
After an alarm alerts hospital staff to the presence of the child, doctors will assess the baby's health and provide any necessary medical treatment, then put the child in the care of the Ministry of Children and Family Development.
A baby was left in the Angel's Cradle near the emergency room entrance of St. Paul's Hospital in downtown Vancouver. An alarm sounds to alert staff after a baby is placed in the program's bassinet.
The two-day-old was left in the hospital's special bassinet in July, according to Dr. Geoffrey Cundiff, who founded the program.
Cundiff said important details such as the date of birth, ethnicity and family history were left with the child.
"That was really helpful. I think they were really trying to do what was right for the baby," said Cundiff, who believes the baby has an immigrant mother.
The baby is in good health and now in the care of the Ministry of Children and Family Development, he said.
ANONYMOUS DROP-OFFS DEVELOPED IN EUROPE
Under the program, anyone wanting to leave a newborn can access the bassinet anonymously by small doors both outside and inside the emergency room entrance. Another door inside the hospital allows staff to access the baby when an alarm sounds shortly after the parent or caregiver has left.
The program has faced criticism from some who say it encourages mothers to avoid official adoption procedures, but Cundiff disagrees.
"I don't think we are trying to encourage it. I think we are really trying to provide an option that will prevent tragedy for the baby and the people who are really opposed to it. I think they are really frustrated with the idea of a mother giving up her child, but many times, that's really what be best for the baby, if they really don't have an environment where they can care for the baby.
Cundiff spearheaded Angel's Cradle after a number of babies were found abandoned around Vancouver.
It is based on similar facilities in Europe that are sometimes called baby hatches, which draw on their own origins from historic facilities run by churches such as foundling wheels.
The St. Paul's cradle is the only one of its kind in Canada, but Cundiff says he has had inquiries from across the country, and some Catholic hospitals in Alberta are considering implementing their own safe-haven program.
179 commentaires
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Internal Links
Hospital to open drop-off for abandoned babies
Safe haven for abandoned babies2:03
Safe haven for abandoned babies2:03Close
Angel's Cradle gets 1st abandoned baby2:22
Angel's Cradle gets 1st abandoned baby2:22
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HOSPITAL TO OPEN DROP-OFF FOR ABANDONED BABIES
April 29, 2010
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/04/29/bc-angels-cradle-vancouver-st-pauls-hospital.html
A Vancouver hospital plans to offer a safe haven for troubled mothers who want to abandon their newborn babies anonymously.
According to St. Paul's Hospital staff, a so-called angel's cradle will be set up in a private area accessible from just outside the entrance of the downtown hospital's emergency room on Burrard Street, as well as from inside the emergency room itself.
The facility, which opens on Monday, will allow a mother to put a baby in the bassinet and leave before hospital staff are notified by an alarm with a 30-second delay, according to a statement released by the hospital on Thursday morning.
The baby would then be given any necessary treatment by hospital staff before being turned over to the Ministry of Children and Family Development for long-term care.
Dr. Geoffrey Cundiff, the head of obstetrics and gynecology for Providence Health Care, said the hospital decided to open the facility because of the number of abandoned infants that have been found dead in Vancouver in recent years.
'There is a small number of women who, for whatever reason, can't face authorities.'
—Dr Geoffrey Cundiff
"It's troubling to think about a mother abandoning a baby. This brings up all sorts of visceral reactions in people. But it's an unfortunate reality, and all we are trying to do is to care for the baby," he said.
According to a hospital statement, "The procedure for dealing with abandoned infants at the hospital has not changed; we are simply providing a safe place for women to safely and anonymously give up their infants instead of leaving them in a place that puts the baby at risk."
"While there are adoption options for a woman in the Lower Mainland who is unable to care for her newborn baby, women in crisis are sometimes hesitant to access these resources because they want to remain anonymous. Angel's cradle is a way for a woman to give up her newborn safely and remain anonymous," said the hospital.
NO POLICE INVESTIGATIONS
According to the hospital, the Vancouver Police Department has agreed to support the program as a safe haven, and will not seek charges or investigate any mothers who use the facility.
"There are laws about abandoning babies, but really those are to ensure that a baby is not abandoned in an unsafe place," said Cundiff. "There is a small number of women who, for whatever, reason can't face authorities."
If a mother wants her newborn back after leaving it in the angel's cradle, she can contact the Ministry of Children and Family Development about meeting with a social worker to discuss her options, said the hospital.
While the facility is a first for Canada, Cundiff said the concept dates back to the 12th century when a pope had so-called foundling wheels or baby hatches installed at some church buildings. They eventually became quite popular across Europe, but were phased out by the early 20th century.
Then in the 1950s, European hospitals began opening them again, and in recent years similar facilities have reportedly been opened by governments in several countries, including the U.S., Japan, Pakistan and many European countries.
411 commentaires
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Internal Links
Vancouver police back where dead baby found
Infant's body found in B.C. landfill
Infant's body found inside plastic bag in Vancouver's eastside
Newborn baby discovered at Vancouver bus stop
Angel's cradle 6:22
Angel's cradle 6:22
Safe haven for abandoned babies 2:03
External Links
Wikipedia: Baby hatch (guichet pour bébé)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_hatch
Tour d’abandon
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_d%27abandon
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruota_degli_esposti
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babyklappe
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Et ça existait aussi au Québec
Il y a 7 ans
