She began chatting up a fellow passenger before she asked
her to temporarily hold her baby as she wanted to step outside for a quick
errand.
This is the last time the woman was seen, leaving the minor
in the hands of a stranger. Police were later called in. This is a trend that
is becoming all too familiar in most urban areas.
Baby dumping actually reached alarming levels last year,
but through campaigns led by the Government, it seems to have been contained.
The beginning of the coronavirus in March last year has
coincided with rising incidents of both baby dumping and child abuse.
Statistics provided by the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP)
show that Harare and Midlands lead in reported cases between January and
October this year, while Manicaland had the least cases.
While there was a disproportionate increase in cases in
some areas, overall reported cases dropped to 39 from 63 in the same period
last year.
But the figures are still considered to be unacceptably
high.
“We are worried by the recent growing trend of such cases
(baby dumping) . . . Barely does a month pass without us receiving two or three
cases at the hospital, and this is a new and disturbing trend we are
witnessing,” said Sally Mugabe Central Hospital clinical director Dr Hopewell
Mungani.
In 2020, Sally Mugabe Central Hospital recorded 15 baby
dumping cases, while this year, between January and October, the figure had
already reached 14.
The probability of surpassing the previous year’s figures,
Dr Mungani said, was high considering the current trajectory.
Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals had fewer cases. Last year,
it only recorded four cases.
“When a dumped baby is discovered, they are taken to
hospital for a check-up before being taken to a children’s home. In worst
cases, the babies may already be dead by the time they are discovered. However,
they still have to be taken to hospital for post-mortem,” added Dr Mungani.
There are fears some of the cases, particularly in remote
areas, go unreported.
In Gokwe, one of the caretakers at Logos Children’s Home,
revealed that they currently house 26 orphans, four of whom are barely
two-years-old.
“Of the four, two were taken in after they were discovered
dumped close to our facility on different occasions.
“The third one was found abandoned in the institution’s
ablution facility, while the fourth one was handed over by the mother who felt
she did not have what it takes to raise a child,” said the caretaker.
Only two of the cases were reported.
In some instances, concerned families and homes deal with
the issue without involving the police, which, however, is a crime.
“All the cases were recorded in the last three months.
“ A lot is happening around villages, some of these cases
are swept under the carpet by relatives under the pretext of preserving family
ties.”
Increasing poverty, lack of access to contraceptives and
assistance during severe lockdowns has left many mothers unable to care for
their babies.
Traditionalist Mbuya Rosemary Marumba argues that in
high-density suburbs, social ties and societal expectations are to blame as
most people are concerned about their image and reputation.
“This has placed the youth under pressure in such a way
that if one gets pregnant, they opt to dump the baby rather than tarnishing
their family image, but, on the other hand, poverty also plays a huge role,”
she said.
In January, a Great Zimbabwe University student was
sentenced to six months in prison for dumping her two-day-old baby in
Zvishavane.
In court, she revealed that being a student, she did not
know what to do with the baby.
Last month, police launched a manhunt for 24-year-old Joyce
Chinyama, who dumped a newborn baby at Budiriro Polyclinic where she had been
admitted after giving birth at home.
A week later, another baby was dumped in Harare at the
banks of a river between Kuwadzana 5 and Kuwadzana Extension.
There have also been reports of aborted babies being dumped
in sewage plants and many other odd places around the country.
Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa (ZAOGA) Pastor Cain Moyo
said baby dumping is abominable.
He urged churches to consider coming up with programmes
that nurture the youth into responsible adults.
“Most boys lack maturity and deny responsibility, which
leaves the girl in a fix, confused over how they will provide for the baby.
This in turn forces the girl to take an easy, yet brutal, way out,” said Pastor
Moyo.
“We need to play our part as church . . . let us create a
responsible generation.”
Baptist Church recently established a foundation named
“Pregnancy Crisis”.
The foundation is expected to assist pregnant women and
offer psycho-social assistance to curb issues of baby dumping.
Chisipite Baptist Church’s Reverend Victor Chembela said
most of the cases were a result of unwanted pregnancy, societal expectations
and pressure from families.
“Due to access to technology, the youth now want to
experiment a lot and in the process, some fall pregnant, but because this was
unplanned, the guys usually disappear or deny responsibility.
“In some cases, a lady may discover that they have given
birth to a disabled child; out of fear or embarrassment, they dump the baby and
disappear with others, even crossing borders,” said Rev Chembela. Sunday Mail
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