Introduction
Baby factory is the plumping out babies for sale on the illegal adoption market. Baby factory where teens are kept and made to bear children for a token and the baby sold have become the other of the day. As shocking, immoral and unreligious as it may see, some Nigerians still indulge in the act. In the interview, force public relations officer C.S.P. Frank Mba, speaks on what the police are doing to check the trend.
There have, of late, been increases in cases of baby factories as discovered by the police especially in South East what do you think is responsible for the development. An exposition of the concept of baby factories tells us the causes of the ugly trade.
Baby factories are locations where young ladies or girls, some teenager or little above that, are harboured and deliberately encourage or forced to become pregnant and subsequently give up their babies for sale. The fact that are harboured and deliberately encouraged or forced to become pregnant and subsequently give up their babies to become pregnant and subsequently give up their babies for sale. The fact that ladies are from poverty background makes it possible for them to be easily enticed with the offer of monetary gains by the operators of these illegal baby farms.
After paying some tokens to these young mothers, the babies are sold to buyers from illegal adoptions.
In 2008, a network of baby factories claiming to be orphanages was reviewed in Anambra State Nigeria by police raids in 2011. Nigeria police raided two more hospital, thereby dismantling two babies’ factories thirty-two pregnant girls were rescued in Aguleri from a hospital of Cross Foundation in October. Seventeen pregnant girls (thirty) according to some sources were rescued in Ihiala Anambra from a hospital of the Iheanyi Ezuma Foundation with time these practices have become blooming business, entrepreneur discovered that babies were in higher demand than earlier arrangement could accommodate. They set up factories where young girls and virile young men are the raw materials. Their produce babies, like other merchandised, are sold to markets, markets where in high demand what else would we accept because of poverty? Has poverty become the reason to break the law want only? Has society considered the consequences of these illegal businesses that have extended to child theft for the same purpose?
The baby factory phenomenon has joined kidnapping, am robbery, ritual killing and terrorism as rising crimes that learn technology contract and sales are made on the telephone and money transferring these provide trails that can help in a apprehending the criminals.
Conceptual framework
Baby factory is a location where young ladies or girls some teenagers or little above that are harboured and deliberately encouraged or forced to become pregnant and subsequently give up their babies for sale. Omonobi (2013), defines baby factory as the plumping out baby for sale on illegal adoption market, it is also a place where teenagers are kept to bear children for a token.
Historical background of adoption
Since 1927, Ontario has implemented and expended a ‘Closed’ adoption system, in this system, when a first parent surrenders a child for adoption, the laws state that the child’s original statement of live birth must be placed in a sealed record along with any information that might identify the child’s family under no condition will these records be turned over to the adoptee. When the child is adopted the adoptive parents create a new statement of live birth replacing the first parent’s information with their own. Essentially, the child is permanently cut off from his/her family and heritage.
At no time after the adoption is finalized, can the first parents rescind their decision, at no time may they seek access to the child’s new identifying information. Over the last years, many adoptees, new adults have begun to vocalize their need to re-establish ties with their first families, from this need grew the adoption reunion movement in 1987, the Ontario government establish the adoption disclosure register (ADR). Today adult adoptee and their first relatives may register with the (ADR), the law also states that adoptee and first parent may apply to the children’s Aid Society (CAS) which handled the adoption and receive non-identifying background information about the family member lost through adoption (United Nations, 2009).
How baby factory operates
BBC News (2011), said that Revelations by the Nigeria Police Force indicated that most places where the trade occurs masquerade as non-governmental organizations, social homes or centres. Owner of these places present themselves as good Nigerians who take care of the teenage pregnant girls in need. Most young girls also see this as an avenue of making money. They go to these home where they will be impregnated by men hired for that purpose and after delivery they would be paid off while the owner of those places sell their babies. Some girls get as little as N100,000 while the baby sold for N500,000 or more cases babies are sold at N200,000 and N400,000. In some places, however, the young girls are camped until they deliver after which they paid off.
Reasons in rise of baby factory
- Poverty: Mba in (Omonibi, 2013), speaking on the issue, said some of these young ladies that came from a family that has limited means makes it possible for them to be easily enticed with the offering of monetary gains by the operators of these illegal baby factory.
- High patronage by desperate couples: (C.S.P) Mba stated that most desperate couples, who in their wrong belief, has reduced marriage to mere baby union and willing to get babies at all cost, has also fuelled the increase rate of baby factories in the country.
- Sex preference: In the opinion of C.S.P. Frank Mba, baby boy are costlier because in this part of the world some wrongly believe that having baby boy gives the woman legitimacy and strong hold on her marriage.
- Greed and ungodliness: Mba also said that in order to acquire wealth by all means people indulge in this unwholesome practice.
- Lack of sex education and ignorance: The part of teenage victims who are either deceived or given false promises or even expressly forced into baby making homes has greatly increased this crime.
- Stigmatization of young girls that have unwanted pregnancies: Mba also that most of these girls ran into baby factories in attempt to seek protection from parental or family chastisement and indeed the associated stigma arising from such “unwanted” teenage pregnancy.
- High cost of fertility treatment: Mba also statement in (Omonobi, 2013) fertility treatment such assisted reproductive technology (ART) including in vitriol fertilization (IVF) is too expensive for couples in need to address the problem of infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss.
Influence of baby factory
As written by David (2013)
- It portrays the country in a very poor light is, it soils the image of the country for instance E.U published a report saying that human trafficking is the third biggest crime in Nigeria.
- Increase in teenage pregnancy as reported by Chukwuma (Nov. 2013)
- Sexual abuse: As reported by David (2013), the Police Command in Anambra State, uncovered a baby factory in Otuocha Local Government Area and arrested a young man whose job was to, sexually abuse and impregnate the girls.
- Increase rate of missing person’s especially females in the country.
- Psychological trauma associated with the victims giving up the selling their babies.
Health implication of baby factory
The consequences of teenage pregnancy are many and varied and affect teenagers, parent, families and the society at large. Osoba (1987), maintain that teenage pregnancy present a lot of problems to the child and mother whom invariables are up with aborted protects of developing to the limits of their full potential. The dangers for both mother and child of given birth at a young age cannot be over emphasized. Physically the risk of complications during pregnancy and child birth includes:
- Prolong difficulty and obstructed labour meaning a condition in which there is an inseparable barriers to the passage of the child so that in spite of good inter-uterine contraction, there is no advance of the presenting part which may be due to inadequate pelvic, as their bones are still in their in their formative phase during early adolescent.
- They are prone to having severe anaemia: Deficiency in either quality or quality of red cupules in blood given rise especially to anorexia in the system, Anaemia is common in the first four years after menarche. (A women first menses) even among those who are not pregnant along with growth rate around the time of puberty. (The period at which sex organs becomes functional), the begin of menses and poor nutrition. Pregnancy can deplete the baby’s iron reserve severe anaemia in pregnancy let to premature delivery and both maternal and foetal death.
- Baby factory increase the rate of V.V.F (visco virginal fistula among teenager.
- Baby factory increase teenager to high maternal mortality (mother dying as a result of pregnancy and child birth) and mortality (mother becoming sick as a result of pregnancy).
- Baby factory also increases the rate of still birth: which simply means the birth of dead child after 28th weeks of pregnancy.
Nzeako (1994), summarized the health and social risk of teenage pregnancy to include,
- Premature Labour.
- Eclampsia or fit in pregnancy.
- High blood pressure.
- Obstructed labour.
- Higher risk sexual transmitted infection.
- Foetal loss.
- Anaemia malnutrition.
- Infection etc.
Ways to control/prevention baby factory
By encouraging adoption: Adoption as a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and in so doing permanently transfers all right and responsibilities from the biological parents. Ojoma (2012) quoting Mrs. Titi Abubakar said “Adoption” supposed to be a positive practice that promotes the rights of motherless children by ensuring that they grow up within a healthy family environment.
Mrs. Ojochide Atojoko Omonbede in her book entitled. Adoption of children in Nigeria practice and procedure called on all Nigerians to imbibe the culture of adoption in line with laid down procedure in order to cushion baby factory in the country.
- Registering/monitoring of motherless babies home C.S.P Frank Mba Force Public Relation Officer in an interview with Omonbi (2013), said machineries should be put in place by the government to register and monitor compliance to standards in the approved motherless baby homes. This is necessary because some of these homes are filthy for human existence while some have been turn to baby breeding factories.
- Publication of all motherless babies’ homes or orphanage in the country.
- Law enforcement as raiding of suspected baby factory as well as arresting and prosecuting the operations and their clients, (Customers) and also doing naming and shaming in this case, suspects should be exposed to the public through the publication of their pictures and stories.
- Encourage surrogacy: Surrogacy is an old idea with a new name but Nigeria’s baby factory fall short of the definition. Nigeria needs to tighten its laws and bring to an end this obnoxious trade in person while encouraging and sensitizing the populace on the various platforms available in the management of infertility.
References
Akosa Joy (2013) Another baby factory in Imo State unviewed. http:// www.nigeriafilms.com/news/24479/33. another baby factory in Imo State Unviewed htm/
Anayo O. (2013) baby factory Abia Demolishes Affected Hospital (Vanguard, Dec, 9th ).
BBC News (2011): Nigeria “Baby Farm” Girls Rescued by Abia State Police. Online http:/www.bbc.co.uk/ news/ world- Africa-13622679.
Child harvesting http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php? Title=chid harvesting and Olded=604466573.
David (2013). The upsurge in “Baby factories” http://www.vanguardngr,com/2013/12/ teenagers desperate couple fuel baby factories police.
Georghegan A. (2009). Fly Away Children ABC online. Reviewed 27 November (2010). http://www,askaboutreunion.org/history.php and source=sq=Historical+Background+0f+Adoption United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (population Davision Child Adoption: rends and policies United Nations. New York, (2009).
Ojoma A., (2013): Nigeria: Titi Abubaka Decries Negative Adoption Practice www.allafrica.com/stories/2012072603444.htm/
Okparaocha Chukwuma (2013) et al. children given birth to children. Sachet water factories now baby factory. www.tribune coming/news 2013/ index pht/en/. Omonobi Kingsley (2013). How Teenager, Desperate Couple fuel Baby Factory Police Htt://www.vanguadngr.com 2013/12/teenagers.
Omonobi K., (2013): How Teenagers, Desperate Couples Fuel Baby factories-Police Vanguard Newspaper.
