Nangula Shejavali
12 October 2009
A large group of schoolchildren on Friday took to the streets of Windhoek in protest at what they call Namibia's "baby dumping epidemic", and for the protection of their rights against violence and abuse.
Leading the march, young Loide Uutako - 'Miss Pioneer 2009-10' - described baby dumping as a "tragedy".
"If you, our parents who are supposed to look after us don't give us the love and support, to whom must we turn for affection?" she asked.
"If our parents are the ones dumping us in toilets, bushes, rivers and feeding us to the dogs, where is our society going? Where must we run for support, love and tender care? This is our cry."
Baby dumping has been a problematic trend in Namibia over the years, and while it remains unclear exactly how many newborns are dumped each year, a 2008 Legal Assistance Centre (LAC) report on Baby Dumping and Infanticide noted that "at Gammams Water Care Works in Windhoek that they discover an average of 13 bodies of newborn babies each month amongst the human waste flushed down toilets".
The report also notes that in 2007 alone, 23 cases of concealment of birth were recorded.
But the above statistics only present a hint at what the true baby-dumping picture might be. Some of the incidents reported in the media in recent times include women throwing newborn babies out with the garbage, leaving them under a bush, burying them inside their own homes, abandoning them tied up in plastic bags, throwing them down a well or pit latrine, burying them alive in the desert, and the list goes on.
In a petition presented to Chief Inspector Quirinus Mahali of the Katutura Police Station, the children called for the protection of children against all forms of neglect, cruelty and exploitation; for an "urgent need to ensure that legislation is in place that provides the basis for care and protection of our children"; and for the speedy passing of the Child Protection Bill.
They further called for the adoption of laws that would allow parents to leave a newborn in a safe place, "no questions asked", as a measure to preventing baby dumping; the implementation of "adolescent-friendly clinics where youth and affected mothers can visit without guilt or societal criticism"; and for sex education to be incorporated into the Namibian Education Act, "to give it the legal weight it deserves".
Gender Equality and Child Welfare Minister Marlene Mungunda praised the children for their efforts in bringing attention to baby dumping, adding that there was a need to look at the underlying causes for the increasing trend.
She highlighted stigma, ignorance, the "sugar-daddy syndrome", peer pressure, lack of communication, coercion, HIV-AIDS, rejection and irresponsibility as some of the identified causes for baby dumping.
The Minister also highlighted ways in which baby dumping could be avoided, urging the children to abstain from sex and focus on their personal development, to delay sex or use contraceptives to avoid unwanted pregnancies, and to talk to a trusted adult or counsellor.
"You initiated to stage a campaign against baby dumping in Khomas Region, which is a wake-up call to those who are planning to dump their babies. Please do not dump the innocent life. You are dumping your future presidents, lawyers, teachers, scientists, and priests," Mungunda said.
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