As more newborns are dumped, social development dept urges women to seek help

After a newborn was recovered from a pit toilet in Mafakathini in Taylor’s Halt in Pietermaritzburg this past weekend, the department of social development urged mothers to get help. According to IOL, the baby was saved by the family, cleaned from faeces, and subsequently checked by medical professionals. The baby was fortunately unharmed.

KZN department of social development spokesperson Mhlabunzima Memela did not believe that women still opted for dumping their newborns instead of considering other options.

Under lockdown, the National Adoption Coalition of SA (Nacsa) stats indicate that child abandonment has increased by 80%.

“We have seen an 80% increase. There were 13 abandonments in the period of February/March and 23 in the period of April/May. We expect this to continue,” said Nacsa vice-chair Sue Krawitz. This is according to a June article by The Citizen.

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The department urges mothers to either legally terminate their pregnancies, or seek assistance from the department regarding putting the child up for adoption if there are concerns of financial constraints.

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“Rather than dump a child in such a painful manner and leave them to die, at least get in touch with the department. Social workers will assist you and give you options,” said Memela.