Back to Index

Child Abandonment Looms
Child Protection Society (CPS)
June 06, 2002

The detrimental consequences of child abandonment to the physical, social, emotional and psychological development of a child should not be overlooked. One needs not be a specialist to see that the problem is escalating at an unprecedented rate. Recently reports were published in the Herald of 16 May 2002 and Wednesday 3 April 2002 of five siblings that were abandoned at Porta Farm by their mother, for a lover and again fourteen babies that were dumped at Chitungwiza Hospital. It is noteworthy that these published reports are only a tip of the iceberg, for a lot of cases go unreported.

Child abandonment is a gross violation of children’s rights. It deprives the child of parental care, guidance, protection and supervision, aspects that are critical for the normal development of a child. Moreover, the problem leaves the child unattended in circumstances which cause physical and mental distress. For instance, an abandoned child might be sexually abused and be HIV infected. Child abandonment disrupts the normal development of a child in as much as the child shifts responsibilities to those that are normally undertaken by adults. This is psychologically and emotionally draining for the child. Some children end up being forced into the culture of begging which further puts them at risk of being sexually and economically exploited.

No single explanation adequately captures the different dimensions of the problem of child abandonment because it results from an interplay of cultural, economic and social factors. Children who are more at risk of being abandoned are those born to commercial sex workers, teenagers, or single parents and those born out of incestuous relationships. One can hardly divorce the economic hardships from the problem of child abandonment. Reports indicate that people who commit this crime are usually those that are financially incapacitated to take care of their children. Some males also deny responsibility over a new born child and as a result, the woman, out of desperation abandons the child. Commercial sex workers abandon children as a way of avoiding the economic impact that child rearing has on their profession. In families where traditional values are still intact, having a child born out of wedlock is a disgrace to the family. There is gross stigmatization that surrounds the experience and single parenthood sometimes reduces one’s prospects of being married. Consequently the teenager abandons the child for fear of being labelled a black sheep in the family. Thus the real problem from a cultural and economic perspective is of an unreceptive society to teenagers who accidentally become mothers resulting in them committing the crime.

A cause of concern in this matter is that it is the woman who bears all the blame. This is endorsed by the law which spells out that child abandonment can only be committed by women. It appears the perceptions upon which the law is built, are erroneous and people must begin to see below the surface of things. Men play a contributing role in spearheading child abandonment and this role is not considered by the law. Women who commit the crime would have been dumped by the men who fathered their children. Yet only the women are found guilty of this crime when prosecuted. This approach explains why the efforts that are made to contain the problem appear abortive. A holistic approach should be adopted if the problem is to be remarkably reduced.

Men should be held accountable for child abandonment. Parenting is a dual responsibility. Currently, the law is designed in a way that promotes an escalation of the problem and this should be given serious consideration. Parents are advised to accept responsibility that comes with parenthood. Where possible, marital conflicts should be settled amicably in the best interests of the child. All concerned parties and players in the field of child welfare are called upon to merge their efforts in order to ensure a reduction in cases of child abandonment. Child Protection Society has the welfare of children at heart. Help us make Zimbabwe a secure place for children to live in.

Visit the Child Protection Society fact sheet

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP