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Dar activists, clerics condemn baby dumping
2006-07-10 09:01:56
By Lydia Shekighenda
Illegal abortions and baby dumping are reportedly on the increase in urban centres and clerics and activists have condemned the perversion as a disgrace to society.
Their reactions follow the shocking discovery of 22 bodies of babies at dumping sites in the Arusha Municipality and two human foetuses along Shekilago Road in Dar es Salaam last month.
The Chairman of the Tanzania Commission for Aids, (TACAIDS), Herman Lupogo, warned the perpetrators of this evil, saying they needed to give serious consideration to the health risks involved, and added that unwanted pregnancies resulted from unprotected sex.
’Unsafe sex could also lead to the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS,’ said Lupogo.
While the Tanzania Media Women Association, (TAMWA) called for proper up-bring of children, lawyers said the problem had a direct link with psychological trauma.
TAMWA Executive Director, Ananilea Nkya said parents and guardians should not run away from the problem, as they form the nucleus of the society.
’There is a possible solution to the problem. But it should encompass the social strata, the common knowledge on risky health complications, individual economic status and moral integrity,’ Nkya said.
However, the clergy came down hard on the evil, saying baby dumping signified ’emptiness’ in faith and appealed to the police to crackdown on commercial sex workers, who are likely to be the prime suspects in infanticide.
Sheikh Khalifa Khamis of the Kwamtoro Mosque in Dar es Salaam said there was no other synonym for the cruelty dumping, other than murder.
The cleric also spoke of the dilemma of pregnant schools girls, urging for review of regulations to allow them to pursue their studies after delivery.
’I challenge parents and guardians to fulfill their moral obligations in bringing up their children,’ Khalifa said.
The retired head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania, (ELCT), Coastal Diocese, Bishop Elinaza Sendoro said people should abide by the teachings of the Gospel.
He said baby dumping was not only a highest degree of immorality, but also a disgrace to mankind.
”When Holy Scriptures say we should not kill each other, it means no one has the right to take away the life of a human being. Social cohesion and respect for human rights could be the solution,” Bishop Sendoro said.
Alfonse Katemi from Women Legal Aid Centre (WLAC) described baby dumping as a ’psychological stalemate that cannot be justified.’
He said the right to live is irreversible and no one has the right to end someone’s life.
The Deputy Minister for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Aisha Kigoda cited a lack of counseling as one of the factors behind baby dumping.
In a telephone interview with The Guardian, Dr Kigoda said there was no justification whatsoever for terminating the life of a baby because one was in economic difficulties.
”The flood gates to good social services are wide open.
Pregnant girls who are not certain on the future of their babies should never contemplate dumping them. They should seek help,’ Dr Kigoda said.
She said lame excuses have no room in society.
”Infant dumping under whatever pretext is not acceptable. There are baby care centers in almost all districts. Girls should never abandon their babies. This practice must stop,” Kigoda remarked.
Last month, the Arusha Regional Police Commander, Matei Basilio told The Guardian that the police were facing a daunting tasks, namely to crackdown on commercial sex workers known to have close links with organized crimes and to educate the public on the risks of baby dumping.
’We (police) have discovered that organized crimes are linked with commercial sex activities,’ Basilio said.
The police chief said his office had introduced public lectures on respect for human rights, war on HIV/AIDS and tracking down of women behind infant homicide.
According to Matei, an average of between two to three dead bodies of babies were abandoned at the garbage dumps within the municipality.
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