Child abandonment is escalating worldwide. In the United States, over 7,000 children are abandoned annually; Columbia and Venezuela have thousands of abandoned children per year; and Brazil acknowledges child abandonment as one of its main social problems, per a recent article in “The Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential.”
In Florida, A Safe Haven for Newborns is at the forefront of addressing the problem of infant abandonment. The nonprofit seeks to address the escalating problem of infant abandonment by providing non-judgmental help and resources. “The preconceived notion that a person who abandons a newborn is an underprivileged teenager is misleading. Our experience of over 23 years shows that this is a tragedy crossing all categories of age, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status,” said Nick Silverio, Founder of A Safe Haven for Newborns. Since its inception 23 years ago, the Foundation has seen a decrease in infant abandonment in the state of Florida.To date 376 newborns have been saved.
The program is designed to saves two lives, the mother and newborn. It provides the mother with the resources she needs prior to giving birth allowing her to make an informed decision that is in the best interest of her unborn child and hers. The Foundation does not charge for any of the services offered. By Florida law, a newborn seven days or younger and unharmed, can be surrendered at any of the participating hospitals or 24/7 staffed fire/ EMS stations displaying the Safe Haven for Newborn signage and surrendered in the arms of a staff member. No questions asked and free from fear of prosecution.
A Safe Haven for Newborns offers referral services across all 67 Florida counties, for such services as maternity homes, shelters, counseling, health-related issues, help for abuse, suicide prevention, connecting them to Medicaid, and information for adoption; open or closed. It offers a 24/7 multi-lingual confidential helpline and information through its website, www.asafehavenfornewborns.com. The Foundation offers web-based training to the healthcare professionals, at no cost to them, on the steps to follow when a newborn is surrendered.
A Safe Haven for Newborns has been identified as a national model program for saving newborns from abandonment and assisting pregnant girls/women in crises; the program has been adopted in Panama, too. It credits its success to its statewide partnership with Fire, EMS, Hospitals.
