Somali refugees 'dump' babies at camp
2011-08-15 17:17
Cape Town - Some parents fleeing conflict and famine in Somalia are abandoning their babies after arriving at the vast refugee complex at Dadaab, Kenya , the Guardian reported on Sunday.
Quoting a charity organisation Save the Children, the report said record numbers of unaccompanied children had been placed with foster families in recent months, “including a small number of babies abandoned by their families after arriving at the camps”.
It was unclear why the babies were left, but Save the Children believed it was probably a result of the desperation felt by parents who have often walked for weeks without food, water or shelter, the report said.
The Guardian said Nasib, a two-month old infant, was found on a roadside by a woman who took him to a police station. The woman was asked by police to care for the child while they investigated the case. Another baby, Naifin, was left in the home of a registered refugee by his mother who had just arrived from Somalia.
She had asked to stay overnight after arriving at the camp, but fled before dawn, leaving her child behind. Both families are being supported by Save the Children's child protection team in Dadaab.
"We can only imagine the levels of desperation driving parents to abandon tiny babies in this way," said Prasant Naik, the charity's Kenya country director was quoted as saying. "After walking from Somalia without food and water, it is clear that some parents feel that they cannot care for their children any more, despite having reached help," he added.
According to the report, Child protection staff also reported a sharp increase in the number of children coming from Somalia without their families. In July, Save the Children helped 80 unaccompanied children who arrived at the camp, up from a monthly average of 22 in 2010.
