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After delivery, young mothers abandon their babies in latrines, dumps and rivers. The increase in the number of cases is worrying the provincial authorities, who are considering preventive action.
The most recent case occurred in Gondola district in the central province of Manica at the end of December, where a newborn was rescued while still alive. The mother, a 17-year-old girl, left the baby in a latrine in a neighbouring house because the father would have refused to acknowledge paternity, according to the local police.
The teenager is currently being held in the Gondola district prison, awaiting trial for attempted infanticide, but, in an interview with DW Africa, she said she was innocent and had no idea what had happened.
In 2017, at least four similar cases were reported by the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) in Manica. According to police spokeswoman Elcídia Filipe, infanticide by teenage mothers has been recurrent in recent times in the province.
“We have to prevent such situations, but this requires not only the intervention of the police, but also other stakeholders. We are talking about churches, community leaders, the health sector, schools and others,” she said. “It is necessary to provide people with more information, especially mothers, women and families, about the risks of this type of behaviour. It is a crime punishable by law.”
Origins of infanticide
In a province where premarital marriage is commonplace, several factors lead to the occurrence of infanticide. One of them is postpartum depression, explains psychologist Fontes Castanheiro, from Chimoio Provincial Hospital.
“It’s a disease that a lot of people do not know about, but it does happen. A girl or a woman, because at first she had a problem with either her boyfriend or her husband, or something happened after giving birth, can become depress and reject the child. And from there she can even get to the point of killing the child, because of a mental disorder, postpartum depression, or puerperal psychosis,” Castanheiro explains.
Rosa Francisco, Chimoio resident and a mother of four, advises young women who are unable to support their children to take babies to orphanages or to join family planning programs to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
“We have to give our children love and affection and protect them. It is better that you suffer with your child. What you eat, you share with the child. Young girls can plan to avoid early pregnancies,” Rosa warns.
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