Tajik
Tajikistan's Baby Black Market
Cash for babies is becoming more common-place than you might expect in Tajikistan, according to the BBC.
In one of the poorest and most conservative nations in Central Asia, more than 64 percent of the population lives on less than $1 per day. With few economic opportunities in their homeland, Tajik men often leave for better-paying work abroad while their wives take care of their children and manage the household. Yet, it is common for these men not to return home and instead, abandon their families. Some pregnant women left behind by their spouses resort to selling their baby, as they can't afford to feed another child.
In Tajik society, a child born out of wedlock can bring shame on a family. Mothers of illegitimate children will often leave their babies in hospital maternity wards right after delivery to avoid scandal.
Perhaps the primary reason why this baby black market exists is because of the lengthy and complex process for legal adoption in Tajikistan. Childless couples wishing to avoid the arduous process are known to pay mothers and medical staff in hospitals for unwanted babies.
Although there are legal implications for trafficking of children in Tajikistan — up to 8 years in prison — women are still taking the risk of selling their babies because they simply cannot afford to keep them.
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