♪ this is cass act stan in central asia. with an abundance of oil and other natural esources, it's on

the fast track to becoming an industrialized nation. in the shadow of this economic growth, many children are being abandoned by their parents. as many as 2,000 children a year. >> translator: you've heard of children being abandoned on the streets, right? if the parents are unable to care for their children, we recommend that they relinquish them legally. >> kazakhstan's code on marriage and family allows parents to legally abandon their children. the sfim is a hangover from the time when kazakhstan was part of the former soviet union. >> translator: the soviet system

involved the state taking over and sorting out every little problem on behalf of the people. people were passive bystanders as the state came up with solutions. even though the soviet union is no more, many people still have the old mind-set of leaving problem solving to the local or national governments. >> many parents find themselves in difficult situations. this mother was on the verge of despair.

>> whether or not to give up their babies, many mothers are having to make an agonizing choice. astana, kazakhstan's capital city. it's said to be the fastest growing city in central asia, attracting people from all over the country. construction began in 1997. the population has grown to 850,000 in the last 15 years. a pear natal hospital in the

city center. expecting mothers start coming here when they are close to delivery. around 10,000 babies are born here every year. there's a special room in this hospital. >> this baby wrasse brought here seven days after delivery. his parents applied to relinquish their rights after the pregnancy was diagnosed. >> the parents are using the law to relinquish their parental rights, so this little boy will soon be an or fan -- orphan.

♪ >> doctors, nurses and lawyers help complete the legal procedures for relinquishments at the hospital. >> a legal document has been created to show that the parents consent to relinquishing their rights. details of their predicament are recorded. >> translator: we need to confirm firstly that the mother is sound of mind. we also need to be sure that she is not being coerced to relinquish her parental rights which continue until the baby comes of age. >> legal abandonment is made possible by a law called the code on marriage and family. it deals with marriage and the

rights of parents and children, including child rearing responsibilities. this clause provides for relinquishment of parental rights and responsibilities. if the parents meet certain requirements, they will be divested of their parental rights by the state. for example, if the parents refuse to take their newborn baby home from the hospital, their parental rights are forfeited and the baby is legally relinquished. parents need to sign this document, which confirms that they consent to relinquish their rights. the final decision is made by the court. astana has a number of city-run homes for abandoned and other children in need, called

children's homes. they provide for infants and toddlers up to the age of 4. this home used to be an orphanage. now, out of the 80-odd infants staying here, over a third are legally abandoned. e unlucky ones who fail toe be adopted by the age of 4, they are sent to live in an orphanage

nl they reach 18 years of age. records of parental identity are limited to what is kept here. >> translator: the infants are divided into categories, rebink wished -- relinquished or abandoned. we also record why the baby was relinquished, if for example, it was born out of wedlock. in this case, it was a young, single mother. this young mother had no money or home, so she couldn't even go to a hospital. she relinquished her rights because she couldn't provide for her baby on her own. most of the reasons cited are financial. the majority are single mothers.

we keep the birth certificates here. >> every year, several dozen new abandoned infants are sent here. parental ties were severed before they were old enough to recognize their parents. >> translator: no mothers have ever come looking for their child, but some adopted children begin to search for their birth parents when they come of age. that's when we refer to these documents, so that we can explain what happened. >> a system that allows parents to legally abandon their childr children. the system was developed amidst the successive wars that broke

out after the russian revolution in order to care for the increasing number of orphans, children's homes and orphanages were set up throughout the country. in keeping with the ideals of socialism, the arrangement was that society would care for children if their parents couldn't. after the dissolution of the soviet union, kazakhstan saw a sharp increase in relinquished children. the u.n. children's fund, unicef, has highlighted issue and has since been supporting kazakhstan's efforts to stop the problem. >> we need to restore the traditions and culture that prevailed before the fall of the soviet union. that's because the practice of abandoning one's child was unheard of back then. >> rapid economic development and the resulting changes in society are behind the increase

in relinquished children. people from all over the the country are pouring into astana in search of work. those accustomed to life in the country where large families are the norm find themselves in a totally different environment with different values. two years ago, a new type of facility was set up to prevent child relinquishment. the facilities were set up with funds from kazakhstani entreprene entrepreneurs. here, at this mother's home, mothers who are at risk of abandoning their children live in a communal setting. most of them are single mothers

who hale from rural areas. since the majority are apprehensive about their future, counselling is provided on a daily basis.

>> the mothers range in age from 15 to 30. they are allowed to stay here until their babies are 18 months old. >> translator: some have been ditched by boyfriends or were deceived by promises of marriage. some are afraid or ashamed of their parents' reaction to them having a child out of wedlock.

so instead of going back to the country, they remain here, in astana, but witut work or roof over their head. >> there are currently around 20 of these mother's homes nationwide. they have already provided support to over 800 mothers and their babies. the hardest period for a new mother is until the baby reaches 18 months old. research shows that a mother who hasupport during thi perio is less likely to abandon her baby. mothers are provided with food, accommodation, and whatever their babies need free of sinc the aim is to help them become self-supporting individuals, they are responsible for taking care of their babies and the housework.

they also receive vocational training, such as sewing or computer skills. as work options for women are limited in astana, the idea is for them to acquire skills that will help them fine wo. find work. >> sairash is 30 years old. she come from a town that is about four hours by train from astana. she was working as a cleaner in

the capital, but was alone and at the end of her tether when she gave birth to her baby. the father who had promised to marry her had come to astana to work. he pretended to be single when, in fact, he had a wife back in the country. >> translator: i met her at a maternity hospital a couple of days before the new year. she said that she had been ditched by her boyfriend. her baby was born prematurely, at seven months, and had been in an incubator for a month. she told me that she had nowhere to go after being released from the hospital. her mother and younger brothers didn't want anything to do with her, so she was in quite a tough sp spot. that's why i brought her here. the baby was very low weight,

and she wasn't able to produce enough milk, so she was struggling. >> i worked throughout my pregnancy. in fact, i was trying to juggle two different jobs. i was all alone. i lived by myself in an apartment and worked until late scrubbing floors at two or three different locations every night. it was november, and very ld, so i fell ill. i thought of giving the baby up for adoption to a childless couple. >> her son was released from the hospital six months ago. he is doing well. she named him no rrks so, which

means precious light in kazakh. since she hasn't quite given up on the boy's father, she still requires regular counselling.

>> despite major changes in society, traditional family values are still widely upheld. >> translator: we have a saying here in kazakhstan that babies can survive in the world once they are out of the womb. kazakhs do not abandon their children. >> translator: it's all the things they see on tv. that's why country kids change when they come here. >> translator: our elders used to say that boys should be kept in the nest while girls should

be allowed to fly away. in other words, build a house for your sons, but raise your daughters properly to become good wives and mothers. >> singer mothers are in danger of being ostracized from society. this medical center is run by the city of astana. three years ago, it set up a joint project with unicef to prevent mothers were becoming isolated. this is the first medical facility people visit when they fall ill. it's also open to women in the early stages of pregnancy, expecting mothers who are considered to be at risk by the hospital's medical staff are given care. the center's team of social workers and counsellors

interviews the mothers to find out as much as possible about their family environment, income, parents, and other social data and also offers guidance. this information is then recorded on what's called a social passport which serves as a family record sheet. the records of high-risk mothers are marked pink. they are provided with intensive care and support, which includes contacting the mother's parents and home visits. this approach of providing wider family support early on in the pregnancy is being adopted by hospitals nationwide. >> the center has also set up a

hotline to lend a sympathetic ear to the concerns of mothers in need so no one falls through the cracks. >> translator: children need to pick up the values and roles associated with parenting. a happy family life and good relationships with relatives at an early age. unless we instill family values in children, we won't be able to solve the problem of child relinquishment.

>> the government has started to view the younger generation's disregard for traditional family values as a crisis situation. in 2012, the president released his long-term strategy for kazakhstan's development. in it, he emphasized the importance of education for women. in response to this policy, a private school was set up last year. it's the first school to specialize in providing moral and cultural education for girls. it receives financial support from the government, and the executive office of the president. girls from 8 to 18 are trained in social and cultural activities to help prepare them for entering international

society. >> special emphasis is on instilling in them the importance of traditional family values, where there is no room for child abandonment. >> translator: terrible things are happening in kazakh society today. you see mothers smoking while pushing baby strollers for example. and then there are also more and more children being abandoned.

we aim to tackle the problem through moral training. >> the school is planning to open branches throughout the country. there's a big gap between the ideals and reality of family life. it's not going to be easy to bridge that gap. sairash had lost touch with her family. she returned home for the first time since she gave birth. >> translator: i attended my younger brother's wedding two days ago, and showed my baby to

my family. but i felt awkward without having a husband by my side. that's why i came back right away. my family seemed happy to see my baby, but -- >> she will be allowed to stay her for one more year, but she has no plans yet for how she will make a living. >> translator: i'm worried about the cost of registering my son. i need to find work soon. i want him to grow up to become an independent person with a good job and home. i'd like to meet someone nice and get married.

he was born on president's day. i hope he'll become a great man. >> translator: it makes me really happy to hear about a mother finding work and a place of her own no matter how small. there is a kazakh saying about how some donkeys will walk while others won't. dankies are stubborn, but with a little bit of encouragement, they start to walk. we need to do the same for young mothers, too. >> it's just her and her son, but they are on the track to becoming a family.

. welcome to "newsline." it's thursday, july 23rd. i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. a soy yus spacecraft has successfully lifted off. it's carrying a japanese astronaut and two other crew members. the rocket carrying the spacecraft was launched in kazakhstan at 3:02. it ent