SterniPark is a limited liability company in Germany. In 1999, several nursery schools and kindergartens decided to improve cooperation by founding an all comprising company. SterniPark is operating various facilities. Its main facilities are nursery schools, kindergartens, forest kindergartens, family holiday houses, youth welfare services, swimming schools, women’s shelters, family centers and “Babyklappen”. (“Babyklappe” is SterniPark’s name for “Baby Box”. It is now the general German term for baby box.)
SterniPark is officially certified as the first group to open a modern Babyklappe in the world. To help pregnant and women with children in need, it provides the following services: A “24-hour free consultation hotline”, “3 Babyklappen” and “Pregnant women / mothers support and anonymous births”. Using the “24-hour free consultation hotline”, mothers can receive advice and support for childcare, and they can also request preparations for anonymous births and the following surrender of the baby to SterniPark if unavoidable. The “3 Babyklappen” enable mothers to give up their babies to a safe and loving institution. Mothers may receive their babies back unconditionally if they change their mind within eight weeks. “Support for pregnant women / mothers and anonymous birth support” provides care and support for pregnant women and new mothers, and it also offers anonymous births if necessary. SterniPark saved the life of 48 babies through its services.
The abandonment of four babies in Hamburg in 1999 led to the setup of the first baby box in a SterniPark kindergarten in April 2000. The second baby box was established in June 2000, and 12 babies were surrendered there.
Since 2000, 52 babies have been entrusted. 15 mothers contacted SterniPark within eight weeks and took their babies back. Approximately 50 babies were entrusted to the two baby boxes in Hamburg between 2000 and 2018, and 268 babies were surrendered throughout Germany. The number of baby abandonment has decreased since the establishment of the baby boxes.
2000 saw the first anonymous birth (giving birth anonymously in a medical institution) in Germany. 540 mothers have opted for anonymous births so far. 27 of them revealed their personal information after giving birth, while 230 mothers chose raising their children themselves.
The law of confidential birth was passed in 2013 and enforced in 2014. Although there is criticism such as the promotion of “dangerous unattended births” and “Right to Know One’s Origins”, more than 75% of all Germans agree on baby boxes.
※This video is excerpted from THE 14th ASIAN CONGRESS OF HEALTH PROMOTION IN KUMAMOTO, JAPAN.
| Speaker | ：Katrin Hinz / Gabriele Kaufer |
|---|---|
| Event | ：THE 14th ASIAN CONGRESS OF HEALTH PROMOTION IN KUMAMOTO, JAPAN |
| Date | ：April 15, 2018 |
