Baby boy abandoned

A baby boy is found abandoned in the car park of King Faisal Mosque in Sharjah.

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SHARJAH // A baby boy has been found abandoned in the car park of King Faisal Mosque. Police said the baby, who is about one year old, was discovered late last week but no one had reported him missing. He was taken to Al Qassimi Hospital for a check-up, but is in good health and will be handed over to the city's childcare centre. The baby is the second to be found abandoned in Sharjah in the past month. On Feb 12, an 18-month-old toddler was found wandering near Al Sahaba Mosque in the Samnan area.

According to a committee for deprived children made up of the directors of Sharjah Police and Sharjah Department of Naturalisation, there were 1,117 children registered in the emirate last year in need of social help. Brig Humaid al Hudaid, the director of Sharjah Police and chairman of the committee, said the children in need of assistance included those abandoned by their parents, victims of domestic and sexual abuse, children of mothers in prison, orphans, and children from families too poor to provide necessities such as food, education and health care.

The police chief also announced a Dh6million (US$1.6m) budget for the committee this year that would help to provide accommodation, food and health care for socially-deprived children. The committee housed 491 abandoned children in Sharjah care homes last year. ykakande@thenational.ae