Child Abandonment In SA

THE shocking truth of South Africa’s abandoned children.

- Vanessa Papas

THEY say the love a parent feels for their baby is infinite; a basic part of your makeup; a human instinct – the only love that is truly selfless, unconditional and forgiving. Why, then, does South Africa have one of the highest rates of infant abandonment in the world?

Although there are no current statistics detailing the number of children who are abandoned in our country on an annual basis, child protection organisations believe that the numbers have increased significantly over the past decade. On average, 374 newborn babies are abandoned every year in Gauteng hospitals. That amounts to roughly 11 babies every month. Of the 200 babies found weekly in Johannesburg, only 60 are found alive, often just clinging to life in public toilet cubicles, gutters, rubbish dumps, parks, and fields.