Two out of three abandoned babies die
The majority of the babies were found to have been born at over 26 weeks in-utero and could thus have been viable births
ALTHOUGH child abandonment has declined slightly the number of anonymous abandonments has increased.
This means there is very little chance of these children ever being reunited with their biological families.
Katinka Heyns, chairman of the National Adoption Coalition of SA (NACSA), says: “This highlights the continued importance of child protection strategies such as adoption. Sadly, the number of adoptions remains extremely low in South Africa, with only 1 349 adoptions taking place in 2016/2017.”
NACSA has launched new research into the incidence of child abandonment.
Twenty-six organisations, representing 33 NGO-run child and youth care centres (CYCC) took part in the research, which equates to 10 per cent of registered CYCCs in South Africa.
The research found that the number of abandoned children has declined in these centres, especially in Gauteng and KZN, however, the number of anonymous abandonments appears to be increasing.
Reasons cited by child protection officers for the increase in anonymous abandonment include a lack of support or social services for foreign mothers in the government departments of Justice, Home Affairs, Health, Police Services and Social Development.
Another reason given is that hospitals have significantly improved their security and protocols around childbirth in South Africa, making anonymous safe abandonment in hospitals unlikely.
The research has prompted the development of a new awareness campaign under NACSA’s crisis pregnancy brand, ‘Choose to Care’.
Dee Blackie, campaign coordinator and child protection activist, says: “There were three major insights that led to the development of this campaign. The first was research conducted in 2013 by Luke Lamprecht and Sheri Errington, which mapped the sites where the bodies of ‘discarded and potential children’ have been found across Gauteng, thought to be the result of late abortions.
“The majority of the babies were found to have been born at over 26 weeks in-utero and could thus have been viable births. The second is the fact that many babies are abandoned very close to ‘places of safety’ that can help these desperate mothers, but they often don’t know that they exist or where to find them.
“And finally, the fact that research in 2012 estimated that of the 200 abandoned babies found monthly in Johannesburg, only 60 survived.”
The campaign, developed by Lesoba Difference, uses the creative concept of remembrance crosses one sees next to South African roads, marking the spot where a loved one passed away due to a road accident.
Posters depicting a tombstone with the statistic that two out of three abandoned babies die will be placed in areas where babies have been abandoned. The posters not only highlight the danger of child abandonment but also guide anyone experiencing a crisis pregnancy to a nearby place of safety or baby home that can assist them.
Contact details for the NACSA crisis pregnancy support centre are also highlighted to ensure help can be found.
