Cipayung orphanage stresses that baby adoption must undergo stringent assessment

The Cipayung-based Panti Sosial Asuhan Anak Balita (PSAA) Tunas Bangsa has emphasised that the adoption process for a baby found in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, must go through strict assessments.

“The process of adopting a child is not as simple as people imagine. In cases of neglected children like this, there must be a court process and stringent assessments first,” said Rida Mufrida, head of PSAA Tunas Bangsa, at Cipayung, East Jakarta, on Friday.

She explained that prospective adoptive parents must pass through a series of legal steps and rigorous assessments before they are deemed eligible to adopt the child. Moreover, the adoption of an abandoned child must begin with a court decision establishing the child’s status.

The court must first determine that the baby, Ameera Ramadhani, is an abandoned child. Only after such a ruling can the adoption process proceed in accordance with applicable regulations.

The mechanism governing the procedures and requirements for adoption in the best interests of the child refers to the Ministry of Social Affairs Regulation (Permensos) No. 110 of 2009 and the Jakarta Governor Regulation No. 14 of 2021 on Adoption of Children.

Rida said these rules set out several prerequisites for prospective adopters, including that a married couple must have been married for at least five years.

“Additionally, prospective adoptive parents must not have any biological children or may have at most one child,” said Rida.

Beyond administrative requirements, prospective adoptive parents must also undergo an assessment process by social workers to evaluate their suitability across various aspects. They are also required to visit the social welfare home to undergo the assessment stages.

“They must come to the home to meet the child and will be assessed by social workers. A record will be made noting that they have attended four times. After that, the process can proceed,” Rida explained.

Although the case has gone viral on social media with many netizens claiming they want to adopt the baby, as of now no one has formally filed for adoption.

Rida said the current focus is on ensuring Ameera’s health remains protected while under shelter care.

“No one has filed yet. At present Ameera is new, and we at the social welfare home exist to provide care and protection. Her health also needs to be continually improved,” he said.

Ameera has been receiving care at PSAA Tunas Bangsa since Thursday (5 March). The baby was brought in by the South Jakarta Social Service Office in conjunction with the Pasar Minggu Sub-district Civil Service Police Unit (Satpol PP Sosial Kecamatan Pasar Minggu) after being referred from PSBI BD 1.

On the other hand, Rida added that if, in the course of police investigations, the baby’s biological family is located, the legal process will still proceed first before a decision regarding custody of the child is made.

“If the birth family is found, there will, of course, be a legal process first against the parents,” Rida said.

Therefore, he emphasised that the adoption process cannot be carried out quickly. Each stage must be completed to safeguard the child’s best interests.

“The process is long and must go through strict assessments; it cannot be instantaneous,” he asserted.

Kapolsek Pasar Minggu, Compol Anggiat Sinambela, said the baby was discovered on Tuesday afternoon at 17:30 local time and reported to police at 17:43. After receiving the information, personnel from Pasar Minggu Police Station went to the scene to verify the condition of the baby through several witnesses.

The baby girl was found wearing a blue bear-patterned outfit and covered with a white blanket. Inside the bag there were other items, including powdered milk, wet wipes, gloves and a slip of paper bearing writing.

The baby girl is estimated to be two days old, based on the writing on the paper by a person named Zidan. He is alleged to have abandoned the baby at the scene.

Witnesses later decided to report the discovery of the living baby to the local community association (RT) and the police. The news of the discovery was also reported to Pasar Minggu Police Station via the Pasar Minggu Police Station WhatsApp group.