Earlier this week, Capetonians were left shaken when the body of a newborn was found along Plein Street with reports indicating that the infant was tossed out of a vehicle.
Amid the outrage and heartbreak, individuals have called on policymakers to rewrite the policy that baby savers become legal in South Africa.
A baby saver is a unit with an alarm system where one can safely and anonymously relinquish a baby rather than dumping it. “A baby saver does not encourage abandonment, but rather offers a safe alternative to abandonment and should only be used as a last resort,” Baby Savers SA explains.
Unfortunately, this is an all-too-regular occurrence and newborns are having to bear the brunt of desperate and sometimes cruel adults. The Western Cape isn’t the only province that appears to have a disregard for its youth.
According to IOL, a man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after he severely injured his girlfriend’s, 6-week-old baby.
Gerhard Viljoen reportedly held the infant boy up against the dry ice of a refrigerator and repeatedly hit him with a spatula.
The incident took place in October 2020 with Viljoen being found guilty of assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm to his now ex-girlfriend’s baby.
Viljoen has admitted to the abuse, while the mother of the infant has not yet been accused as she is still a minor.
According to crime statistics released late last year, children are not safe from violence with 287 children murdered during that period. Compare this to the 218 children murdered the previous year and you would see an increase of 31.7%.
Unfortunately, these are only the bodies that were reported or found.
Baby Savers SA took to its Facebook page to share their thoughts on the horrific abandonment and death of the newborn tossed in Cape Town’s CBD, saying: This Little Person’s death is a horrific reminder – we need to do far more to protect children’s lives in South Africa, starting with laws that prioritise children and provide them with options that add to life.”
Also read:
Increasing calls to legalise baby savers following loss of newborn dumped in Cape Town CBD
Picture: Unsplash