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Child help line saves an infant from a
22-year old neglecting mother |
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The HIV and
AIDS epidemic created large numbers of orphans.
Orphanhood is one of the factor that contributes
in children’s vulnerability especially for
girls. In a 2002 study in Zambia, Human Rights
Watch found that among girls who had been
orphaned by AIDS, hundreds were being sexually
assaulted by family members or guardians or
forced into sex work to survive.
 Thato*
22-year old-girl of Ha Mabote grew-up as an
orphan taken care by her grandmother. Due to
poverty and peer pressure, Thato was intimately
involved with elder man and after some years she
was pregnant. When she broke the news to the
sugar-dad, he disappeared and changed his phone
number. At home, the poor burdened grandmother
was furious and chased Thato out of her home to
look for the father of her unborn child. Thato
was forced to leave her grandmother’s place and
had to survive on her own.
She struggled until the baby was born and
started the new and challenging chapter of
looking after the baby without any support not
even a child grant. Nobody knows where Thato
goes at night, but neighbours say every night
she would leave the baby crying in a locked
house and go to town to look for a job and
sometimes returns after a day or two.
It is the crying baby that prompts the concerned
neighbours to take action. They called a
toll-free child help line number and reported
the case of the crying baby locked in the house.
The call was answered by the Child helpline
counselor Mrs. ‘Mapera Pera. According to Pera,
after receiving the report, she informed the
nearby Mabote Police station through their Child
and Gender Protection Unit (CGPU) about the
baby.
The Child Helpline and the Mabote police
together visited the child’s house. The door was
locked and they had to break in the house to
save the baby. Inside they found the baby lying
on the bed covered by three heavy blankets up to
the face.
Pera indicated that the child was under weight,
pale, dry skin with patches and so thin, no one
could tell the age of the baby but during the
case the mother confirmed the baby was born
premature and she is now three months. The baby
was taken to the Department of Social Welfare
where a social worker referred the baby to a
place of safety at Beautiful gate children’s
home on the same date, October 14, 2009, and the
mother was arrested charged with child abuse. On
Monday October 19, 2009 the case was heard
before the magistrate court and the next day the
judgement was delivered where the mother was
sentenced to five months imprisonment but later
the sentence was dismissed in condition that she
does not repeat the similar mistake within the
period of two years. Meanwhile the police are
waiting for a court order to determine the
custody of the child. At the moment the child is
still with Beautiful gate.
The child was taken to Queen Elizabeth II
hospital for medical examination where she was
found dehydrated and has a shortage of blood.
The child was put in a drip and medication and
is currently responding well. Thank to the child
help line and the police for saving the baby’s
life.
The Child helpline is a phone-in and outreach
service that aimed at protecting children by
providing emergency assistance and linking
children in need of care and protection to
long-term services and resources.
The Child Helpline report of July to September
2009 shows that there were 3,656 phone calls to
the center and among them 3007 calls were
dropped or not reported anything while 575 calls
reported their cases and received referral
information or telephonic counseling. Out of 575
responded calls, 74 were the real child abuse
cases while the rest were just queries that need
explanations and clarifications. The cases
ranged from neglect, property grabbing,
emotional abuse and sexual offences.
Meanwhile the Child and Gender Protection Unit (CGPU)
report of July to September 2009 reported 388
cases handled by their unit countrywide. Out of
388 cases, 136 were children’s cases that were
assisted and later referred to social welfare,
probation unit, legal aid and some were referred
to hospital for medical attention. The remaining
252 cases were related to women issues. |
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