Illegal baby factories and shame of a nation
As Nigeria continues to battle illegal child trafficking, a new phenomenon is gradually replacing the traditional method of abduction and sale of children by human traffickers. This phenomenon has more to do with the proliferation of illegal “baby factories” in many parts of the country. Much to the consternation of Nigerians, these illegal maternities have become places where pregnant young girls are encouraged or forced to become pregnant and give up their newborns for sale. Curiously, some of the girls have admitted going into the obscene business for purely pecuniary motives. In fact, the newborns are mere objects of trade to the highest bidder who either adopts or resale them. Weirdly, these facilities and their proprietors employ the services of virile young men to impregnate the girls.
Unfortunately, many of these illegal clinics have been accused of being responsible for the abduction, stealing of babies and child trafficking, even as they are mostly managed by quacks that claim medical qualifications. Investigations show that the girls are usually quarantined in small inhospitable rooms without communications gadgets and subjected to all manner of forced labour and servitude. Reports reveal that some of the babies sell for as low as N200, 000 for boy-child and N150, 000 for girl-child. Before now, foster homes were licensed by governments to look after abandoned and unwanted babies where childless couples or those in want of particular sex go to adopt children legally.
As the business thrived, many unscrupulous Nigerians saw an opportunity of making quick money no matter how unconscionable and illicit. Definitely, no society that values the dignity of human life would accept the pernicious activity of selling babies like common commodities.
That is why the law enforcement agencies must identify and shut these illegal human incubators in the interest of the victims who are mainly young girls and their babies. Nigeria should not allow human life to be so debased as to allow for the existence of baby factories. In the first instance, the babies so mass produced and traded away in the most unholy fashion did not commit any crime, even as they did not consent in any way whatsoever to be produced for sale. Child bearing is a thing of joy. More so, human life is sacred and so its protection is what places the human civilisation above those of other lesser creatures.
There is every reason to believe the existence of cabals as masterminds in this devilish enterprise. We say so because the logistics of procuring young girls and intimidating, forcing, cajoling and or luring them to become pregnant, including the efforts put in selling and transporting the new born babies are very complex and mind boggling. The Police and other related bodies must engage in a concerted effort to find out the real brains and financiers of this fraud.
Anyone identified in the establishment of such monstrous outfits must be arrested and prosecuted to serve as deterrent to others. The earlier the country realises the hard and brutal fact that it is fighting organised criminal syndicates, the better for the society and victims.
We believe that government can reduce the establishment of illegal baby factories by elevating and emphasising the institution of adoption. Adoption regulation, processing and other incidental overview conducts regarding adoption should be the exclusive preserve of the government. It should therefore upgrade the adoption laws and regulations, employ, and train more officers to conduct, regulate and supervise the process. It is a shame and a black spot on our collective conscience that young girls are now deliberately impregnated for babies that would be immediately sold as articles of trade.
