How the government can deal with abandoned babies

A RECENT oversight visit by the DA to the Vikela Baby drop box in Glenwood has raised several concerns, not only around the risk to the lives of abandoned or unwanted babies, but also the plight of mothers of unwanted babies.

According to StatsSA, KwaZuluNatal has the highest number of teenage pregnancies recorded in South Africa.

Then there are the many cases that do not make the headlines, with the full extent of how many infants and children are abandoned and left for dead unknown.

It is clear that KZN’s Department of Social Development (DSD) has a duty to apply more resources to this sad problem.

Instead of being left in bins, bushes, toilets and river banks, babies can be left in baby drop-off boxes, which are provided by some NGOs.

These boxes give babies a chance of survival.

NGOs which have these boxes need to be supported by the DSD in conjunction with KZN’s departments of Community Safety and Liaison and Health.

The DA calls on KZN DSD MEC Nonhlanhla Khoza and her team to:

¡ Increase the number of department funded NGOs so that more services can be rendered across KZN.

♦ Work hand in hand with other government departments to find ways of dealing with high rates of child abandonment and deaths.

♦ Conduct research on abandonment of babies and to track such trends, particularly in areas with high numbers of abandonment.

♦ Remove unnecessary red tape that prevents NGOs from fully assisting and rescuing abandoned babies and to find a faster way for children to be placed in the system.

♦ Intensify campaigns and educational programmes aimed at teaching communities about various alternatives for people who do not want their children.

The DA will continue to fight for women and children.

As we draw closer to the 16 Days of Activism Against Abuse of Women and Children campaign, we need to find more tangible and effective ways to change lives.