The levels of child abandonment in South Africa may have many reasons, but levels of a weak support system available to mothers and families could very well be the main reason.

This, Pretoria West social worker Nandi Tseola said, was the only reasonable explanation for the increasing numbers of children reportedly abandoned.

“The level of desperation that confounds both mothers and families is insurmountable– it is not in the nature of humans to want to part ways with their offspring, but when they reach a level of not having the means to support them they will in a word – cut them loose – so they themselves have a semblance of survival,” she said.

Saying child abandonment had been around from time immemorial, Tseola said there was no doubt the numbers have been sharply increasing. “And this is as citizens need more support than ever before, and as they reach points of desperation they cannot come back from.”

At last count, the country recorded almost 10 000 abandoned children “in the system”. Some were found already dead, others were left in a place of safety, and another group was dumped where were meant to die.

Tseola said the children come from varying backgrounds, among them the popular unwanted pregnancies, and illicit pregnancies: “… But there are also children born where they were actually wanted, but circumstances either change or a mindset shift.

Authors of The Borgen Project early this year said: “The abandoned baby rate in South Africa is increasing at an alarming rate. Even more alarming are the places that people are leaving these babies behind.”

They called the topic a very touchy one and said rather than speak about it, many chose to rather donate money or support charities.

“In some cases, a few will engage in hands-on volunteering, whether it is volunteering their time or their services to assist these abandoned babies,” they added.

Said Tseola, a large percentage of abandoned children, especially newborn babies were discovered already dead. “This majority of under 1-year olds are often dumped in velds, dumping grounds, forests, and, in some instances public spaces, like communal dustbins, and toilets where someone will find them. Some, she said, were left in hospitals.

She said there was a perception that people – especially women had loose morals which led them to dump their babies, but this would have been taken care of or even decreased by the legalisation of the termination of pregnancies.

“From what we see on the ground, it is the lack of support from families and mothers have. This extends beyond the financial to the socio-economic. The reality of bringing a baby into a struggling home can be scary for many, the reality that they actually need to be raised at an escalating cost makes it more real.

“Some do have the option of families to support them, but with the growing urbanisation, this community has shrunk. Where once grandparents were a strong support system and relied on the land and what they had to raise children, today almost everyone has to work, and in a shrinking economy, and with joblessness at an all-time high, these options have all but disappeared,” she said.

The government has tried to criminalise child abandonment, Hope Centre’s Maria Lategan said, but the fear this should instil did not permeate deep enough.

“We take in mothers with babies and children in need, but we also need the support of the government to make sure they are fed, housed, accommodated comfortably, and that they can at some point be allowed to leave.

“Donors come through to assist, some people even adopt the children we take in, but the laws are so strict, and rightly so, that it discourages many who would otherwise benefit.”

She said the information regarding NGOs and NPOs which could step in when a pregnant woman felt desperate did not reach enough people. “There are so many welfare organisations that do not even need to know who wants to get rid of a child, but not enough people know of it.

The government has, however, said that the Department of Social Development was working hard to protect children and reduce the number of abandoned children.

Last year they said they were employing social workers who would walk the streets and increase awareness, but NPOs and NGOs have said, this has yet to happen.

ntando.makhubu@inl.co.za