Project halted as many babies abandoned at safe haven

A pilot program of the safe haven for abandoned children in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, has been suspended, People's Daily reported on Monday.

The safe haven, which started operation on Jan 28, stopped accepting children after it reached its limit, with 262 children received from Jan 28 to March 16.

It is the first of the 30 safe havens nationwide to stop accepting children.

Xu Jiu, the director of the Guangzhou Welfare Home where the safe haven is located, said the 262 children all suffered diseases, including cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and congenital heart disease.

The survival rate of the abandoned children is 91 percent, achieving its purpose of protecting unwanted children's lives and rights.

The safe haven has no plan to resume operations, but local civil affairs administration said they would draft supporting policies and measures to help those who are poor and have disabled children.