3 February 2001
Lusaka — Zambia has reported an increase in cases of women dumping their children in pit latrines and the trend has also alarmed the Supreme Court in Lusaka.
Supreme Court Judge Lombe Chibesakunda, alarmed at the increase of infanticide, has advised women to consider putting their unwanted children in foster homes than depriving them of their right to life by dumping them in pit latrines.
The judge said this when she delivered a ruling in a matter in which Mary Mukonda, 30, of Chama district in Eastern Province, appealed to the Supreme Court for leniency after she was convicted of committing infanticide and sentenced to seven years imprisonment by the Chama court.
Chibesakunda, however, said there were many alternatives to unwanted children and singled out adoption as the best and warned that taking away a child's life was a grave offence.
In mitigation, Mukonda, a mother of four, told the Supreme Court the incident happened accidentally. She claimed that in most cases she delivered after nine months but on that day, she was shocked when she went to the toilet and unexpectedly a baby dropped from her into the pit.
Mukonda said when she attempted to inform the villagers about the incident, the matter had already been taken to the police after which she was apprehended and convicted for seven years.
She added that her children would suffer if she were to be sent to prison, as there would be no one to look after them.
Chibesakunda considered Mukonda's mitigation and reduced the sentence from seven years to three years taking into consideration that she was an orphan and a first offender.
She advised women that parliament had equated infanticide to manslaughter, saying it deserved life sentence because it deprived children of their right to life.
The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) in Lusaka has attributed the high number of infanticide cases to high levels of poverty and single women headed families.
YWCA member Tracy Sichinga says her organisation is saddened to see that the number of infanticide cases has become common in rural areas.
"The WCA is currently running a programme called 'Children In Crisis' aimed at protecting children's right to life," Sichinga said.
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