Faith KalagborSeries on Baby Factory
Article 1: EXPOSURE ON BABY FACTORY/BABY SALES; A VIOLATION OF
THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN AND GIRLS in Imo State.
Written by Faith Kalagbor.
Baby factory is diversification of child trafficking which is trade on human beings and it is one of the various forms of violence against women and girls. It is a new systematic abuse pattern that promotes infant trafficking, neo-slavery and the exploitation of young women with unplanned pregnancies in Nigeria. The terms baby factory, baby sales, and child harvesting are often used interchangeably to refer to the
systematic sales of Human children typically for adoption (illegal) and lineage continuity, and atypically for diabolical purposes including rituals. Since its first discovery in Imo state in the year 2013, the trend has witnessed an increase in occurrence due to prevalent economic and social factors associated with Eastern Nigeria. Social factors such as stigmatization and labeling of young unmarried girls with unplanned pregnancies, childless married women and married women in dire need for specific gender, especially male children as the narrative of the patriarchal the system has embellished, hence the higher bidding in sales of male infants than female. Young girls who end up in baby factories due to social factors are often victims of kidnap whilst in search of means of aborting the babies while married women and couples in the aforementioned predicament, due to desperation, patronize baby factories the most as it is a cheaper and quicker option as opposed to surrogacy, in vitro fertilization, assisted reproductive technology or adoption through social services. The economic narrative reveals cases of young girls from a low-income background who may likely want to keep their babies but are faced with choosing abortion or cajoled
into staying at baby factories in exchange for care till delivery after which they are paid off to give up their babies for adoption, cutting all ties. Research shows that some young girls after their first child being raped by a paid client or partner with a baby factory owners and then coerced to remain there, confined in an environment where they only have contact with those who are paid to provide various services for them including medical. The prevalence of this inhumane act which is a form of violence against women and girls, informed our decision at Alliances for Africa, to create awareness on the growing the trajectory of this perilous act and the existence of the Baby Protection Law signed in response to prosecuting perpetrators of baby sales in the state and putting an end to this menace. We, therefore, urge the general public to be watchful and promptly report any illegal monetary transaction on babies or illegal caregiving homes for babies and young pregnant girls. We say NO to BABY FACTORY & ALL FORMS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS.
