While some bury children, others throw them away: the story of an abandoned baby in the Ternopil region
While the war takes the lives of children every day, and parents bury their babies under explosions, completely different stories appear in the rear – no less tragic. We are talking about children whom no one killed. Their parents leave their newborn babies to fend for themselves: they throw them out into the street, throw them in fronts, leave them in abandoned places without any care. Unfortunately, these are not isolated stories. They are not always associated with mental disorder or criminal intent. This is due to the loss of a basic sense of duty to the child that the mother brought into the world, as well as loneliness, fear and lack of support.
On April 21, passers-by in the village of Vyshnivets in the Ternopil region found a baby lying behind an abandoned store. People were going to the cemetery and happened to see a newborn baby abandoned on the bare ground. The boy was alive, albeit with hypothermia. He was transferred to the hospital after the first aid provided by the village paramedic.
At the scene, people saw used syringes and rubber gloves – probably evidence that the birth took place right here or very close. Later, the police established that the child was born at home by a 19-year-old local woman who had just returned from abroad. She was not on medical records, on the day she gave birth, she wrapped her son in a blanket and took her outside.
Local residents were shocked by what they saw.
“This is such shocking news. We didn’t have such people here. I’m a local here, and I haven’t seen any pregnant women lately.” — says Svitlana Borysevich.
“I am 73 years old, I have never heard of such a thing. Take me to the hospital, there is a “window of life” in Ternopil – I don’t understand such a thing.” — says Volodymyr Slobodanyuk, who together with his wife learned about the child from neighbors.
The National Police of the region confirmed that the pre-trial investigation is currently underway. The law enforcement officers studied the recordings from the surveillance cameras, interviewed the residents of the village, checked information about possible pregnancies among women in Vyshnivka and nearby villages. As a result, enough facts were collected to identify the person who probably left the newborn on the street.
Legally, the actions of the 19-year-old woman were classified under the second part of Article 135 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — leaving in danger. The sanction provides up to three years of imprisonment, but the final decision will be made by the court.
At a time when most Ukrainians are looking for salvation for their children, this story raises another question: what could have led to the fact that the child was left on the cold ground? Despair? Fear? Social isolation? Psychological trauma? Maybe all together.
And although the baby is now safe under the supervision of doctors, his story is just beginning. A child who was abandoned immediately after birth has no legal status, no family circle, and no clear perspective. If the mother does not officially recognize him or is deprived of parental rights, the boy will become a child in need of state care. Then there is a shelter, then a boarding school or a temporary form of family education. If you are lucky – adoption.
Considering the fact that the newborn is in danger already on the first day of his life, his beginning is not just the absence of a family, but a deep social trauma even before he is aware of himself. Even if the state fulfills all procedural obligations, he is taken into custody or adopted, his life has already begun with rejection. And it will remain not in documents, but in psychology and initial experience. So the big question will be what this boy will have to go through to learn to live with such a beginning.
