“嬰兒安全島”之思

The pressure with the increase of the number of abandoned babies makes the hidden troubles emerge. An important problem is the public’s interpretation of the concept of “Safety Island”.

棄嬰數量的增加以及隨之帶來的壓力讓“安全島”背后的隱憂浮出水面，其中一個關鍵問題就是公眾對于“安全島”理念的解讀。

How to interpret “Safety Island”

“安全島”該如何解讀

Many irresponsible parents take “Safety Island” as an asylum. No matter for what reasons， if only they do not want their children， they can dispose him or her in a “Safety Island”. It seems that “Safety Island” provides reasonable grounds for those illegal actions. In fact， this is not logical. According to the person in charge of Guangzhou Social Welfare Institute， “Right now， some people call ‘Baby’s Safety Island’ as ‘Baby’s Abandonment Island’. It is a misunderstanding. “Baby’s Safety Island” is to protect the life safety of babies rather than to encourage the behavior of baby abandonment.”

可以看到的是，許多不負責任的父母將“安全島”當成一個收容所，不論出于何種原因，只要不想要孩子，就可以合理地丟棄到這里。似乎從名義上為不合法的行為找到了合理的理由。然而這顯然是不符合邏輯的。據廣州市州市社會（兒童）福利院負責人稱:“現在，有輿論將‘嬰兒安全島’稱為‘棄嬰島’，這是誤讀。設立‘嬰兒安全島’是為了保護棄嬰的生命安全，不是鼓勵棄嬰。”

Among the babies sent to “Safety Island”， there are also some children of five or six years old. The reporter found that most of the children suffer from severe diseases. However， the problem is that these children have obviously passed the age of baby. As to this， the person in charge of Guangzhou Social Welfare Institute told the reporter: “At the start of founding ‘Safety Island’， there is a limit of the definition of baby. The first element of ‘Baby’s Safety Island’ is baby. He said that broadly defined， baby refers to children under one year old. And these babies are the adopting objects of ‘Baby’s Safety Island’. In future， Welfare Institute will talk the people trying to abandon children more than one year old out of doing this. It will dissuade the suspected parents or guardians who would abandon children and call the police or provide the police with relevant proof and clues of those people who insist on abandoning babies. It is very irresponsible for them to send children at the age of five or six years old. Those children have already got feelings for their family and the harm of getting abandoned will accompany them for a whole life.”

另外，在送至“安全島”的棄嬰中，也有一定比例五六歲的兒童，而據記者走訪發現，他們當中多數都患有嚴重的疾病，然而問題是這些兒童已經明顯超過了嬰兒的年齡，就此廣州市社會（兒童）福利院負責人告訴記者:“在設立“安全島”初期，對嬰兒的界定是有限制的。‘嬰兒安全島’的第一要素是嬰兒。”他表示，從廣義上來說，嬰兒是指不滿一歲的小孩，這應是“嬰兒安全島”的接收對象。今后，福利院將對試圖遺棄明顯大于一歲孩子的人員進行勸離，對涉嫌父母或者其他監護人遺棄嬰兒的行為進行勸阻，對執意遺棄嬰兒的行為將及時報警并向警方提交相關證據和線索。該負責人認為:“有人將五六歲的孩子送進來，這是非常不負責任的做法，這個年齡段的孩子對家庭已經有了感情，被遺棄的傷害可能會伴隨他們一生。”

Human and financial resources are the guarantees of safety

人力、財力是安全的保障

Why are babies abandoned in “Safety Island”? It is probably because of economic poverty of families. Most of the abandoned babies suffer from severe diseases. The costs of treatment and care have made many ordinary families heavily burdened. The notes left by parents show that many children have received medical treatment for some time but the reality that the diseases are incurable or the treatment will cost too much money made the parents decide to give up their children.

The slogan at the gate of Baby’s Safety Island at Shijiazhuang， Hebei Province says: “In the world， every baby’s should be cared for.” This warm slogan and the original intention of “Safety Island” provide these abandoned babies with a temporary shelter. However the economic pressure has also transferred from individuals to welfare houses. Many parents even think that “Baby’s Safety Island” is a kind of “welfare” provided by society. In fact， the operation of “Safety Island” is also faced with the absence of resources. Social Welfare Institute of Shijiazhuang considered setting up several more “baby’s safety islands” at the areas where babies are frequently abandoned like hospitals， stations and the police offices. However， staff of 24 hours’ duty and the setting of places cannot be managed just by a social welfare institute.

據了解，嬰兒被遺棄在“安全島”的很大一部分原因來自于家庭的經濟困境。由于多數棄嬰患有嚴重疾病，治療費、護理費讓很多普通家庭不堪重負，據家長留下的紙條信息顯示，很多孩子基本上都是經過一段時間的醫療，但后來疾病可能沒法治療，或者治療需要很多錢導致家長最終決定放棄。

在河北省石家莊“嬰兒安全島”門口的標語上，赫然寫著:“在這個世界上，每個嬰兒的生命都應該得到呵護。”這句溫暖的標語以及“安全島”的初衷讓這些被家長遺棄的孩子有了暫時的容身之所，但是壓力也隨之而來，那就是經濟壓力從個人轉向了福利院。很多家長甚至認為“嬰兒安全島”的出現是社會提供的一種“福利”。但事實情況是，“安全島”的運營也面臨著資源的缺位。石家莊社會福利院也曾設想在醫院、車站、警務室等其他棄嬰高發地段多設幾個“嬰兒安全島”，但24小時人員值班以及場地設立都非福利院一家之力能解決。

Besides economic pressure， there is also pressure from human resources. We can see this just from the adoption process of a welfare institute. After finding an abandoned baby， the staff should first call the police to identify the baby. The relevant department will decide whether the baby should be sent to a hospital or directly to welfare institute to receive the treatment of professional medical workers. After that， the baby will be sent to an isolation room to have observation and treatment. All these need the investment of human resources.

除了經濟壓力之外，還有來自于人力的壓力，僅福利院的接收流程就可見一斑：發現棄嬰后，工作人員首先要報警，確定嬰兒身份，業務科根據嬰兒身體情況安排轉入醫院治療或直接入福利院，接受專職醫護人員的檢查診療，之后進入隔離室觀察治療。而這些都需要人力資源的投入。

The life safety of abandoned babies should be maintained by many parties

棄嬰生命安全要靠多方維系

From receiving treatment to the following feeding， these tasks cannot be completed just by a welfare institute. It involves the cooperation of many departments like civil affairs bureau， public security bureau， sanitary bureau， finance bureau and even the bureau of social security and human resources. Just as Director Han Jinhong said when interviewed by media: “It is necessary to set up a mode led by civil affairs department and coordinated and managed by other departments like public security， city management， finance， sanitation， social security and planning.” “Baby’s Safety Island” has just started in China， therefore this comprehensive mode is still at the stage of practice and exploration.

從接受到治療再到后續的喂養，這一系列的任務絕不僅僅是福利院獨立可以完成，還涉及到民政局、公安局、衛生局、財政局，甚至人力資源社會保障局等多部門的通力協作。正如韓金紅院長在接受媒體采訪時所言，“建立一個以民政部門牽頭的，公安、城管、財政、衛生、社保、規劃等多個部門配合并參與、各負其責的模式，是非常必要的。”但由于“嬰兒安全島”剛剛在中國起步，這種多位一體的模式仍處于實踐和摸索階段。

Director Wang Zhenyao of Public Welfare School of Beijing Normal University told the reporter that to guarantee babies’ life security， the efforts from welfare institutes or families are far from enough. In the current system， the economic pressure on families and welfare institutes is inevitable. For instance， if there is an ill baby in a family， the medical fee must be shouldered by his or her family. It is very difficult to have reimbursement in the current system. And this has led to the increase of abandoned babies. If the government provides certain allowances for families having disabled babies， the pressures on welfare institutes will not be that tremendous and families will not make that hard decision.

“In our current relief system， many policies are not connected. This reality makes hospitals and parents feel helpless. Once hospital finds the baby is heavily disabled， it will not take the baby unless the government supports the coordination and instructs the hospital to go to the process of aid and welfare.” Just like what Director Wang said， the founding of “Baby’s Safety Island” and the pressure it faces exposed a great defect in Chinese children’s welfare system. There is not a series of security systems and welfare systems to guarantee the life security of disabled babies. The life safety of abandoned babies is still a big problem.

北京師范大學公益研究院院長王振耀告訴記者，棄嬰生命安全的保障絕不僅僅來自福利院或是家庭一方的努力，這顯然是不夠的，在當前的制度下，難免會讓家庭和福利院產生經濟上的壓力，比如誰家有重病的孩子，完全是由他們自家來負擔，一旦要報銷，目前這一套體制是相當艱難。而這造成的結果就是棄嬰的增加。如果說在有重度殘疾嬰兒的家庭里，或是在其長大的過程中，政府有適度的津貼，可能福利院的壓力也不會這么大，家庭也不會做出這么兩難的選擇。

“現在我們的救助體系，很多政策不銜接，讓醫院也無奈，讓家長也無奈。一旦醫院發現這是個重殘孩子，醫院是不可能承擔，只有是政府支持協同，告訴醫院，醫院接到或者說是一看生下來是個重殘孩子，立即進入到救助、福利這樣一套程序才行。”正如王振耀院長所說的那樣，“嬰兒安全島”的出現以及當前所面臨的壓力實際上暴露出中國在兒童福利制度建設方面存在的重大缺陷，這個制度涉及誰家生了重殘兒童，沒有一套系列的保障制度，福利制度來保障，棄嬰的安全問題仍然是個難題。

Foreign experience and domestic reality

國外經驗聯合國內實際

In fact， the relevant problems of “Baby’s Safety Island” are not only in China. “Baby’s Safety Island” was originated in Italy and now it has spread to over 50 countries in the world. Therefore， the experience of foreign countries can be used in China.

In America， over 20 years， each state has successively passed a series of “laws on safety harbors”， which makes the abandonment of babies in a logical and safe way become possible. Up to 2008， fifty states in America have certain laws on safety harbors， most of which designates hospitals， emergency medical service centers， fire stations and police bureaus as safety places. About half of the states will not sue those parents who give up their healthy babies. Some states allow the parents not to disclose their identities while some ask the staff who adopt the babies to find out the information of the parents to get the babies’ health records.

In terms of welfare system， Australia’s experience could also be used. It has a sound system in the temporary and long-term treatment of babies. Take New South Wales as an example， the hospital in Wollongong adopted an abandoned baby in April， 2010. After some necessary treatment and the failure in seeking for parents， this male baby was sent to a foster center for temporary care. After some time in the foster center， if the parents still did not show up， the baby would be transferred to a foster center and open to the society for adoption. Like many countries， the Australian government has strict stipulations for adopters. In recent years， with the introduction of the welfare of single mothers， termination of pregnancy allowed by law and the rights of women and children are protected by law， there is a decrease in the number of adoption and the society will be more willing to see orphans adopted by families rather than by welfare institutes or foster centers. China can learn a lot from Australia’s experience in the adoption and nourishment of abandoned babies.

其實，“嬰兒安全島”的相關問題并非中國獨有。“嬰兒安全島”最早起源于意大利，如今延伸到全世界約50多個國家。因此，其他國家的運營經驗也許可以成為中國的借鑒之徑。

在美國，20多年來，各州陸續通過一系列“安全港法案”，使得“依法安全地拋棄嬰孩”成為可能。截至2008年，美國50個州都有某種形式的“安全港法案”，大多數法律指定醫院、急救醫療服務、消防局和警察局作為安全地點。大約一半的州不起訴那些放棄沒有受傷的嬰兒的父母。一些州允許生父母不透露自己的身份，有的則要求接收兒童的人員查找生父母信息，并獲取兒童的健康病史記錄。

再將目光轉向大洋洲，從福利制度上，澳大利亞的經驗也許可以成為借鑒，其在對棄嬰的暫時和長期處置上有一套完善的流程。以新南威爾士州為例，該州伍倫貢市一家醫院在2010年4月接收了一名被遺棄的男嬰。在施以必要治療以及尋索父母未果的前提下，這名男嬰一周后被送往了寄養中心臨時寄養。在寄養一段時間后，如果棄嬰父母仍不出現，棄嬰將轉去寄養中心，并向社會開放領養。和許多國家一樣，澳大利亞政府對于領養人有嚴格的規定。近年來，隨著引進單身母親福利、法律允許終止妊娠以及婦女兒童權益得到進一步保障，澳大利亞一方面出現領養絕對數量下降的現象，另一方面社會更傾向接納孤兒由家庭領養，而非在福利院或寄養中心成長。這些都為中國棄嬰后續的養護提供了借鑒。

Director Wang Zhenyao said that in drawing lessons from the world， we should also connect it with the reality of China. “Actually， big cities like Beijing and Shanghai have already developed their own experience. For example， they give children medical insurance for serious illness. It is also called aid money for serious illness. Based on the experience of Beijing and Shanghai， 100 yuan from one person is enough. 50 yuan from parents and 50 yuan from the government， the problem is solved. In Beijing， parents can have reimbursement of 170， 000 yuan for a year and there is no need for parents to worry about the medical fees. Therefore， they can take good care of the babies. If a baby has a serious disability and needs a long-term care， the government should give certain allowances and subsidies. In this way， there is a continuous institutional guarantee and financial support. The concerns of parents are solved and the babies are taken good care of.

From home and abroad， the founding of “Baby’s Safety Island” is just a remedy measure at the bottom line. Director Zhu Hong of Nanjing Social Welfare Institute of Children thinks that our government should first improve the medical security system， especially strengthen the aid to disabled children and prevent the parents in poverty from taking this “tragic step”.

據王振耀院長介紹說，借鑒全世界的經驗也要結合自己國家的國情:“像北京、上海等地方其實已經發展出自己的經驗，比如給兒童一個大病醫療保險，或者是叫大病的互助金。一般像北京、上海的經驗，一個人一年100塊錢，家長出50，政府拿50，就解決了。像北京前兩年就可以一年報銷到17萬，家長遇到這樣的孩子，醫療費用不要太擔心，就能讓家里面很好的呵護兒童。第二個方面，如果這些孩子是重殘、長期需要得到照料，應該給一定的津貼、補貼，這樣的話，它能有持續的體制性的保障，財力的支持，這樣能夠很好的解決家長的后顧之憂，也能讓孩子得到很好的照料。”

從國外到國內，“棄嬰島”的設立只是底線性的補救措施。南京市社會兒童福利院院長朱洪認為，國家還要首先完善醫療保障體系，特別要加大對殘障兒童的救助，讓處于困境中的家長，不再邁出這“悲劇的一步”。