Over the years, there has been many reports of infants being abandoned by parents. Many factors can contribute to child abandonment, some of which may stem from mental health issues and lack of support, but other reasons may be that one could have made better choices with proper education. Some parents abandon their infants due to financial difficulties and the fear of having to provide for a newborn. Many developed countries have come up with ways to protect and safeguard the lives of abandoned infants. The United States of America, for example, has the Safe Haven Law where parents are allowed to safely drop off their infants at hospitals, fire stations, or police departments. Other countries such as Italy and Germany have designated areas known as ‘baby windows’ where a parent or parents can safely drop off their child, with no questions asked. This is yet another way of ensuring that the precious lives of these tiny beings are saved.
In this issue, we carry an article about an infant estimated to be around two to three months old, who was abandoned at a rubbish dump in Mogoditshane. The child thankfully was rescued by the police after a passerby heard a baby crying and alerted the police.
