Cases of abandoned children on the rise in Burundi

In Bujumbura, 7 cases of children thrown in dustbins in 2016

A newborn baby has been found in front of the office of Muyinga Province Governor in the morning of Monday 9th January 2017, local sources say. Her mother left it just after birth. The baby was immediately brought to Muyinga hospital by the administrative authorities to prevent any infection.

Vyukusenge Louis-Marie, another child aged 6, was also found in that hospital. He says his mother went to work in Tanzania and his father told him to stay at the hospital before he could leave.

The same sources say an infant of almost one year was also found on the same day covered with clothes in Bubanza province. The mother left the child with the vaccination card. Last week, a mother left her newborn baby in the church at Kinindo parish, in Muha commune of the capital Bujumbura. Cases of mothers abandoning their children on the street or elsewhere are increasing.

SOJPAE, an independent association in charge of defending the children’s rights, receives such cases.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have the exact record for the whole country but in Bujumbura, we received 7 cases of children thrown in dustbins in 2016”, says David Ninganza, SOJPAE Legal Representative.

Causes might be economic, psycho-sociological or familial

“Apart from being a victim of sexual abuse or divorce, a mother might be mentally sick, suffering from a psychological trauma or disturbance which can cause her to abandon her child”, says Jean Bosco Ndayishimiye, Psychologist and Lecturer at the University.

SOJPAE says some women or single girls may decide to abandon their children due to poverty or her family members’ attitudes.

“There are cases when girls or women are rejected by their respective families or chased from home because they have got pregnant. Desperate, the mother often decides to abandon the infant”, says Mr. David Ninganza, Legal Representative of SOJPAE.

Jean Bosco Ndayishimiye says the government should ensure such children are not left behind but taken care of to avoid cases of psychological or behavioral disorders.