By Shikin Louis
SIBU, Nov 4: The newborn baby boy who was abandoned near a garbage site along Jalan Tong Sang on the morning of Oct 29 is reported to be in stable condition.
Sarawak Minister of Women, Childhood, and Community Wellbeing Development, Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah, stated that the baby, who was rescued, was born prematurely at 41 weeks, weighing 1.43kg.
The police investigation into the baby dumping case is still ongoing and has resulted in the arrest of two suspects: a 14-year-old girl, believed to be the baby’s mother, and a 44-year-old man, who is being investigated for statutory rape.
Fatimah revealed that the Sibu Division Welfare Department (PKMB Sibu) interviewed the girl (the baby’s mother) and her father (the baby’s grandfather) on Oct 30, 2024.
Additionally, welfare officers visited the hospital to check on the baby’s condition and coordinated with the police on the investigation.
“Next, PKMB Sibu will visit the girl’s school to obtain her school report and will also conduct a home visit for further investigation.
“We are working on finding a suitable foster family or caregiver, as the girl’s father (the baby’s grandfather) has expressed unwillingness to care for the baby,” Fatimah said in a statement made available to the press today.
Fatimah further shared that as of October this year, six cases of baby dumping have been recorded in Sarawak, including one where a baby was saved via the baby hatch at BMC Kuching in March.
Furthermore, as of October 2024, Sarawak recorded 118 rape cases, with 109 involving girls aged 18 and below. Significantly, 97 of these cases are classified as statutory rape (involving victims aged 16 and below), 11 as incest, 24 as sexual harassment, and 74 as child sexual abuse. — DayakDaily
