By . Emma Thomas . PUBLISHED: . 15:48 EST, 10 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 03:57 EST, 11 December 2013 . Abandoned babies can be left in a controversial 'baby hatch' at a German hospital where newborns are looked after and put up for adoption. The heated box, lined with a pillow and blankets, is at Berlin's St Joseph hospital. Mothers can leave their unwanted children anonymously at the 'Babyklappe', or baby hatch, and statistics show it is used about twice a year. Abandoned: A baby hatch at Berlin's St. Joseph hospital in Germany. A baby hatch is a place where people can bring babies, usually newborn ones, and leave them there anonymously to be found and cared for . Alarm: he stainless-steel hatch slides out and after a person has placed their baby inside and slid it shut, it triggers an alarm inside the hospital so staff can pick the child up . Hatch: The practice was common in medieval times but has come under fire from the UN recently . The stainless-steel hatch slides out and after a person has placed their baby inside and slid it shut, it triggers an alarm inside the hospital so staff can pick the child up. It takes about two or three minutes for staff to get to the hatch so the parent has enough time to slip away unseen. Inside the box is a letter which tells the mother German authorities will look after the baby for eight weeks. The system can be like a . 'revolving door' as mums that change their mind can come back to reclaim . their babies within two months. However, if the parent does not come back to be reunited with their child after the two months it will be put up for adoption. The practice was common in medieval times but has come under fire from the UN recently. The BBC reports it believes that children have a right to know who their parents are and that right is denied to children left in the baby hatch. There is also fears that, because of the anonymity of the system, fathers of children or other relatives could hand the baby over instead of mothers. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child says there are baby boxes across Europe but Germany has the most with 99 across the country. Poland has 45, Czech Republic 44, Hungary 26, Slovakia 16, Lithuania eight, Italy eight and Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Vatican, Canada and Malaysia all have one as of last year. UN: The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child says there are baby boxes across Europe but Germany has the most with 99 across the country . Letter: Inside the box is a letter which tells the mother German authorities will look after the baby for eight weeks . China: Haven for Abandoned babies in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China. The first baby hatch of Shaanxi Province was put into use in Xi'an recently . Debate: Baby hatches are a hotly-debated topic in China as many believe the haven may reduce the sense of parental guilt and encourage such acts. But without such places of safety, parents conceal newborns in hidden places that are not be easily found, causing the deaths of many unwanted babies . The first haven for abandoned babies was recently opened in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China. Baby hatches are a hotly-debated topic in China as many believe the haven may reduce the sense of parental guilt and encourage such acts. But without such places of safety, parents conceal newborns in hidden places that are not be easily found, causing the deaths of many unwanted babies . German chancellor Angela Merkel put forward legislation earlier this year to find an alternative to baby hatches. Women will be allowed to give birth without revealing their identity to anyone outside the hospital. The information would be kept for 16 years which would allow children who have been abandoned to find out who their birth mother is when they are older.
The heated box is at Berlin's St Joseph hospital .
Mothers can leave their unwanted children there anonymously .
Can reclaim child within eight weeks otherwise it will be adopted .
By . Emma Thomas . PUBLISHED: . 15:48 EST, 10 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 03:57 EST, 11 December 2013 . Abandoned babies can be left in a controversial 'baby hatch' at a German hospital where newborns are looked after and put up for adoption. The heated box, lined with a pillow and blankets, is at Berlin's St Joseph hospital. Mothers can leave their unwanted children anonymously at the 'Babyklappe', or baby hatch, and statistics show it is used about twice a year. Abandoned: A baby hatch at Berlin's St. Joseph hospital in Germany. A baby hatch is a place where people can bring babies, usually newborn ones, and leave them there anonymously to be found and cared for . Alarm: he stainless-steel hatch slides out and after a person has placed their baby inside and slid it shut, it triggers an alarm inside the hospital so staff can pick the child up . Hatch: The practice was common in medieval times but has come under fire from the UN recently . The stainless-steel hatch slides out and after a person has placed their baby inside and slid it shut, it triggers an alarm inside the hospital so staff can pick the child up. It takes about two or three minutes for staff to get to the hatch so the parent has enough time to slip away unseen. Inside the box is a letter which tells the mother German authorities will look after the baby for eight weeks. The system can be like a . 'revolving door' as mums that change their mind can come back to reclaim . their babies within two months. However, if the parent does not come back to be reunited with their child after the two months it will be put up for adoption. The practice was common in medieval times but has come under fire from the UN recently. The BBC reports it believes that children have a right to know who their parents are and that right is denied to children left in the baby hatch. There is also fears that, because of the anonymity of the system, fathers of children or other relatives could hand the baby over instead of mothers. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child says there are baby boxes across Europe but Germany has the most with 99 across the country. Poland has 45, Czech Republic 44, Hungary 26, Slovakia 16, Lithuania eight, Italy eight and Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Vatican, Canada and Malaysia all have one as of last year. UN: The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child says there are baby boxes across Europe but Germany has the most with 99 across the country . Letter: Inside the box is a letter which tells the mother German authorities will look after the baby for eight weeks . China: Haven for Abandoned babies in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China. The first baby hatch of Shaanxi Province was put into use in Xi'an recently . Debate: Baby hatches are a hotly-debated topic in China as many believe the haven may reduce the sense of parental guilt and encourage such acts. But without such places of safety, parents conceal newborns in hidden places that are not be easily found, causing the deaths of many unwanted babies . The first haven for abandoned babies was recently opened in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China. Baby hatches are a hotly-debated topic in China as many believe the haven may reduce the sense of parental guilt and encourage such acts. But without such places of safety, parents conceal newborns in hidden places that are not be easily found, causing the deaths of many unwanted babies . German chancellor Angela Merkel put forward legislation earlier this year to find an alternative to baby hatches. Women will be allowed to give birth without revealing their identity to anyone outside the hospital. The information would be kept for 16 years which would allow children who have been abandoned to find out who their birth mother is when they are older.
adoption. The heated box, lined with a pillow and blankets, is at Berlin's St Joseph hospital. Mothers can leave their unwanted children