Harsher penalties for infanticide rejected in Vanuatu

Transcript

Vanuatu's council of women is rejecting a call from a Tanna chief for stricter penalties on mothers who kill their newborn babies.

The Independent reports the chief, Malcolm Raymond, says the killing of newborns is a growing issue and needs to be immediately addressed.

He says causes include poverty, a lack of orphanages, psychological distress in pregnant mothers, and a failure to utilise family planning services.

But the council's president, Blandine Boulekone, told Christopher Gilbert women are being unfairly blamed and ostracized by the community.

BLANDINE BOULEKONE: Where is the father? Where is the parents? Where is the community? Where is the church? Because it means that these women they have problems, they are totally alone and it is a pity. But we are sorry for the baby of course. We are sorry for both of them.

CHRISTOPHER GILBERT: I have the understanding that a lot of these pregnancies are happening due to rape and due to incest. Are the facilities available for women who are pregnant, from an unwanted pregnant, to terminate that pregnancy?  

BB: No, abortion is illegal in Vanuatu except when it is a rape of it is a problem that could put the health of the mother at difficulty, and it has to be decided by three doctors. No, we have nothing. Even when you have this lady, they find themselves alone. We don't have any office to help them, we don't have anything. Welfare is not very well developed. When you have the full community, and the backing of the people it is okay, they could manage. Because we have a lot of families adopting a child, it is not a problem, they would love to have a child.

CG: Mr Raymond says there should be a strict penalty on women who are doing this.

BB: It is not fair at all. It is something that we need to challenge.

CG: What needs to change? Is it a culture change that's needed?

BB: It's probably a change of attitude coming from everybody: the church, the community. The fact is that we are alone with our own problems, you know? We are totally alone. Probably, if we had a place where we could receive a girl like that... because they will go and we will handle their pregnancy, and somebody would help them today. We should have some sort of service like that. But in custom they demand they have their place. In the island of my husband, Pentecost, they have a woman chief and she is equal to a male chief. But, of course, today that is slowly going to disappear.