( L - R ) Blaine, Clarke

Children's Advocate Mary Clarke says she wants to meet with the mother who left her child in an abandoned building to determine what was going through her mind.

The infant was reportedly tied up and left in the building on Spanish Town Road in Kingston by her 19-year-old mother.

The police say elastic bands were used to bind the infant's hands at the wrists.

"Which heart does she have? I want to meet with her and see what went through her mind," said Clarke.

She noted that she was happy that the parent was found and would be held accountable.

Sacrifices

Clarke said that, when mothers have children, there are certain sacrifices that they have to make, and the needs and wants of the children have to be put before those of the parents.

"We shouldn't have children until we are ready to make sacrifices," she said.

The child was found by passers-by who heard the infant crying and called the police.

Meanwhile, convenor of Hear the Children's Cry, Betty Ann Blaine, told The Gleaner/Power 106 News that she was alarmed at the abuse of a two-year-old girl by her mother on Boxing Day.

Blaine said the mother should be severely punished.

She noted that the action by the mother brought into question the issue of teenage pregnancy among young girls.

According to Blaine, too many teenage mothers do not have the capacity to properly care for their children.

CDA care

She is also calling for the child to be placed in the care of the Child Development Agency (CDA) after being released from hospital.

Alison Anderson, chief executive officer of the CDA, said her office was horrified by the incident.

Anderson said there were some 6,000 children in state care who had been abused.

"They all have been hurt and we just need to get a grip now," she told The Gleaner.

Anderson noted that the court would make a ruling on the matter before the CDA would get involved.

The child was being treated at the Bustamante Hospital for Children in Kingston.