https://www.news24.com/Video/SouthAfrica/News/watch-newborn-found-in-bin-might-get-a-new-lease-on-life-20190119
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Showing posts with label Women. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Women. Show all posts
Sunday, 20 January 2019
Newborn found in bin might get a new lease on life
https://www.news24.com/Video/SouthAfrica/News/watch-newborn-found-in-bin-might-get-a-new-lease-on-life-20190119
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Wednesday, 11 October 2017
Considering Adoption But Not Sure Where To Begin? Here Are 3 Basics You Should Know
Have a look at this article from the Huffington Post.
Thursday, 27 August 2015
ConCourt to consider genetic link on surrogacy law
The Constitutional Court is set to consider whether the genetic-link requirement in surrogacy law should remain.
Click on image below to go to the article.
Click on image below to go to the article.
Friday, 7 August 2015
Baby left on doorstep
First seen on News24 written by Chelsea Pieterse
JUST two hours old, a newborn baby wrapped in a orange throw, wide-eyed and looking around without making a sound, was left on the doorstep of a home in Cottonwood Lane, Panorama Gardens, yesterday morning.
The tiny baby girl, nicknamed Usiphile, which means “given to us”, was believed to be just two hours old when she was found on the doorstep of the Cottonwood Lane home. The umbilical cord was still attached and untied while dried amniotic fluid was still in her hair.
Homeowner Cebo Ntombelo found the baby girl when he walked out of his house to take his two children, aged seven and eight, to school.
His wife, Cindy, said her husband found the baby on the doorstep wrapped in the throw and covered in blood.
“It was very scary but we were happy to see she was alive.
“We took her into the house as it was cold outside and then we called the police right away.
“She was very cute, and had the chubbiest little cheeks. I don’t know how any mother can carry a child for nine months and then just abandon their own baby,” said Ntombela.
ER24 spokesperson Russel Meiring said when paramedics arrived they immediately assessed the child and found that she had suffered mild hypothermia but was in a stable condition.
“The young patient was treated by advanced life support paramedics and transported to Northdale Hospital for further assessment and treatment.”
Pietermaritzburg SAPS spokesperson Constable Mthokozisi Ngobese said the mother of the abandoned child had been found by police and was arrested yesterday afternoon.
“We can confirm the incident and the mother has been arrested and charged with child abandonment.”
The mother is expected to appear in court today.
Child Welfare director Julie Todd said that most babies who were abandoned were born at home and not at a hospital or clinic where the baby and mother would be monitored.
“Often these women think they do not have any alternatives and their families will not accept the baby and help look after it. They feel they need to abandon the baby.”
She said Child Welfare often found that the family of the woman were “happy to accept the child” and there was no reason to abandon the baby for fear of being rejected.
“If a woman has a baby and feels she cannot keep it because of her circumstances we encourage her to bring the baby to our organisation where we will take the baby into temporary care and assist the mother.”
She said it was important to consider the best interests of the infant.
She added that if the public were to come across an abandoned baby, that they should call paramedics immediately as well as child services and police.
A report by National Adoption Coalition South Africa (Nacsa) consultant Dee Blackie published in May last year said that an estimated 3 500 babies were abandoned in South Africa in 2010.
“There are no current statistics detailing the number of children who are abandoned in South Africa on an annual basis, but most child protection organisations believe that the numbers have increased significantly over the past decade,” said Blackie’s report.
Statistics gathered in the report also showed that of the 18,5 million children in South Africa, 4,5 million do not live with their parents.
“Orphans have increased 30% over the decade to approximately 5,2 million children.
“An estimated 150 000 children live in child-headed households, over 13 000 live in residential care facilities and an estimated 10 000 live on the streets of South Africa,” said Blackie.
The report also stated that ano-nymous child abandonment is a criminal offence with mothers facing charges such as concealment of birth and attempted murder.
“Baby safes are considered illegal in terms of the Children’s Act, however, these are being opened up more frequently given the increase in abandonment,” Blackie added
JUST two hours old, a newborn baby wrapped in a orange throw, wide-eyed and looking around without making a sound, was left on the doorstep of a home in Cottonwood Lane, Panorama Gardens, yesterday morning.
The tiny baby girl, nicknamed Usiphile, which means “given to us”, was believed to be just two hours old when she was found on the doorstep of the Cottonwood Lane home. The umbilical cord was still attached and untied while dried amniotic fluid was still in her hair.
Homeowner Cebo Ntombelo found the baby girl when he walked out of his house to take his two children, aged seven and eight, to school.
His wife, Cindy, said her husband found the baby on the doorstep wrapped in the throw and covered in blood.
“It was very scary but we were happy to see she was alive.
“We took her into the house as it was cold outside and then we called the police right away.
“She was very cute, and had the chubbiest little cheeks. I don’t know how any mother can carry a child for nine months and then just abandon their own baby,” said Ntombela.
ER24 spokesperson Russel Meiring said when paramedics arrived they immediately assessed the child and found that she had suffered mild hypothermia but was in a stable condition.
“The young patient was treated by advanced life support paramedics and transported to Northdale Hospital for further assessment and treatment.”
Pietermaritzburg SAPS spokesperson Constable Mthokozisi Ngobese said the mother of the abandoned child had been found by police and was arrested yesterday afternoon.
“We can confirm the incident and the mother has been arrested and charged with child abandonment.”
The mother is expected to appear in court today.
Child Welfare director Julie Todd said that most babies who were abandoned were born at home and not at a hospital or clinic where the baby and mother would be monitored.
“Often these women think they do not have any alternatives and their families will not accept the baby and help look after it. They feel they need to abandon the baby.”
She said Child Welfare often found that the family of the woman were “happy to accept the child” and there was no reason to abandon the baby for fear of being rejected.
“If a woman has a baby and feels she cannot keep it because of her circumstances we encourage her to bring the baby to our organisation where we will take the baby into temporary care and assist the mother.”
She said it was important to consider the best interests of the infant.
She added that if the public were to come across an abandoned baby, that they should call paramedics immediately as well as child services and police.
A report by National Adoption Coalition South Africa (Nacsa) consultant Dee Blackie published in May last year said that an estimated 3 500 babies were abandoned in South Africa in 2010.
“There are no current statistics detailing the number of children who are abandoned in South Africa on an annual basis, but most child protection organisations believe that the numbers have increased significantly over the past decade,” said Blackie’s report.
Statistics gathered in the report also showed that of the 18,5 million children in South Africa, 4,5 million do not live with their parents.
“Orphans have increased 30% over the decade to approximately 5,2 million children.
“An estimated 150 000 children live in child-headed households, over 13 000 live in residential care facilities and an estimated 10 000 live on the streets of South Africa,” said Blackie.
The report also stated that ano-nymous child abandonment is a criminal offence with mothers facing charges such as concealment of birth and attempted murder.
“Baby safes are considered illegal in terms of the Children’s Act, however, these are being opened up more frequently given the increase in abandonment,” Blackie added
Monday, 20 July 2015
LETTER: Madonna’s act of love
Dee Blackie, A child protection activist, responds to an article in the Business Day.
Click the image below to see the full Article.
Click the image below to see the full Article.
Friday, 10 July 2015
ABANDONED CHILDREN, SA’S DIRTY LITTLE SECRET
By ROBYN WOLFSON VORSTER
Originally appeared in Daily Maverick on the 09 JUL 2015 10:10 (SOUTH AFRICA)
Around 3,500 children are abandoned in South Africa annually. News of yet another child found dead or left in a precarious position elicits strong public condemnation and emotion. Public consensus on the issue of child abandonment generally provokes a knee-jerk response to blame and demonise mothers. But despite our deeply felt beliefs, research has indicated that while abandonment affects individuals, it is often as a result of wider socio-economic factors and ultimately, politics.
Click the image below for the full Article:
Friday, 19 June 2015
Congratulations Albie!!!
We at Abba Specialist Adoption and Social Services would like to congratulate Albie Jackson on her graduation as a Social Worker.
Well done Albie, we're very proud of you.
Well done Albie, we're very proud of you.
Monday, 9 March 2015
Babies 'not for sale', but who will love these innocents?
Originally appeared in the Sunday Times on 8th March 2015
Written by Redi Tlhabi
I AM so angry and broken. I look at my little girl, who is 16 months old. I watch her lurch forward, unaware of the dangers below or ahead, but confident that someone will be there to catch her and protect her from harm.
I hear her when she cries; often, it is not a real cry, it is just a loud pronouncement: "I need you." She cries because she is sure someone will respond.
It pains me that so many children will not experience this undivided devotion and nurturing.
A few days ago, The Times reported that adoptions declined by about 50% in South Africa over the past decade, from 2 840 in 2004 to 1 448 last year. The National Adoption Coalition of South Africa, formed in partnership with the Department of Social Development, attributes this sharp decline to several factors, including legislative challenges, red tape, documents going missing and cultural beliefs.
In a country where child abandonment, rape, abuse and neglect are high, these figures are disturbing. It is particularly frustrating when there are parents who are desperate to take care of these children. But they very often cannot, because of artificial obstacles.
The department will dutifully argue that the process of adoption is cumbersome precisely because it is designed to protect children and ensure an exhaustive vetting process. We should all support a methodical system that ensures vulnerable children are matched with parents who will love and nurture them.
But I don't believe the department is doing this for the children. It claims there are faults on adoption documents and that there is a shortage of prospective adoptive parents. Even the meticulous would-be adoptive parents who have ticked every box are frustrated.
The department's spokeswoman, Lumka Oliphant, inadvertently let slip the real reason why the adoption process is frustrating: paranoia and politics.
She said the adoption of babies should not be commercialized. "Our babies are not up for sale."
Our babies? The same ones who are neglected and molested? The same ones who roam the streets begging for food? The same ones who write to radio stations, desperate for The department cannot get away with untested assertions funds to pursue their studies? The same babies who are in orphanages and homes that constantly make desperate appeals for funds, food and educational material?
How well is the government doing in taking care of "our babies"? When "our babies" get clumped in dustbins and drains, it is the NGOs and private citizens who roll up their sleeves and get involved.
This is a gift — to have citizens who care enough to do something.
Instead of treating them with suspicion, the government should be welcoming this generosity and activism.
The department's statement about the "commercialization" of adoption is reckless. It stigmatizes loving and sincere adoptive parents who are desperate to have a child. It also locates them in the same category as child traffickers — a very serious crime.
For this accusation to be afforded any merit, the department would have to advance empirical evidence that a major percentage of the victims of child trafficking are adopted children. It would have to show us figures that there is a causal link between adoption and commercial gain.
This is a serious allegation and the department cannot get away with innuendo and untested assertions.
It must go further and prove that adoptive parents have made money from adopting these children. I suspect that if it bothered to follow up on the outcomes of adoption, it would find the majority of children thriving, safe and sound, in loving homes.
Unless there is concrete proof that the majority of children who are victims of abuse, rape, child labour and trafficking were adopted for that purpose, then the department's allegations must be seen as scurrilous and defamatory.
A real pity in a country so desperate for model citizens, raised by loving and caring parents.
Written by Redi Tlhabi
I AM so angry and broken. I look at my little girl, who is 16 months old. I watch her lurch forward, unaware of the dangers below or ahead, but confident that someone will be there to catch her and protect her from harm.
I hear her when she cries; often, it is not a real cry, it is just a loud pronouncement: "I need you." She cries because she is sure someone will respond.
It pains me that so many children will not experience this undivided devotion and nurturing.
A few days ago, The Times reported that adoptions declined by about 50% in South Africa over the past decade, from 2 840 in 2004 to 1 448 last year. The National Adoption Coalition of South Africa, formed in partnership with the Department of Social Development, attributes this sharp decline to several factors, including legislative challenges, red tape, documents going missing and cultural beliefs.
In a country where child abandonment, rape, abuse and neglect are high, these figures are disturbing. It is particularly frustrating when there are parents who are desperate to take care of these children. But they very often cannot, because of artificial obstacles.
The department will dutifully argue that the process of adoption is cumbersome precisely because it is designed to protect children and ensure an exhaustive vetting process. We should all support a methodical system that ensures vulnerable children are matched with parents who will love and nurture them.
But I don't believe the department is doing this for the children. It claims there are faults on adoption documents and that there is a shortage of prospective adoptive parents. Even the meticulous would-be adoptive parents who have ticked every box are frustrated.
The department's spokeswoman, Lumka Oliphant, inadvertently let slip the real reason why the adoption process is frustrating: paranoia and politics.
She said the adoption of babies should not be commercialized. "Our babies are not up for sale."
Our babies? The same ones who are neglected and molested? The same ones who roam the streets begging for food? The same ones who write to radio stations, desperate for The department cannot get away with untested assertions funds to pursue their studies? The same babies who are in orphanages and homes that constantly make desperate appeals for funds, food and educational material?
How well is the government doing in taking care of "our babies"? When "our babies" get clumped in dustbins and drains, it is the NGOs and private citizens who roll up their sleeves and get involved.
This is a gift — to have citizens who care enough to do something.
Instead of treating them with suspicion, the government should be welcoming this generosity and activism.
The department's statement about the "commercialization" of adoption is reckless. It stigmatizes loving and sincere adoptive parents who are desperate to have a child. It also locates them in the same category as child traffickers — a very serious crime.
For this accusation to be afforded any merit, the department would have to advance empirical evidence that a major percentage of the victims of child trafficking are adopted children. It would have to show us figures that there is a causal link between adoption and commercial gain.
This is a serious allegation and the department cannot get away with innuendo and untested assertions.
It must go further and prove that adoptive parents have made money from adopting these children. I suspect that if it bothered to follow up on the outcomes of adoption, it would find the majority of children thriving, safe and sound, in loving homes.
Unless there is concrete proof that the majority of children who are victims of abuse, rape, child labour and trafficking were adopted for that purpose, then the department's allegations must be seen as scurrilous and defamatory.
A real pity in a country so desperate for model citizens, raised by loving and caring parents.
Wednesday, 25 February 2015
A Child’s Love Can Help – NACSA
(Originally posted in https://blog.fnb.co.za/2015/02/an-act-of-love-can-help-nacsa/)
There are an estimated 18.8 million children in South Africa (40% of the total population). Of this number, an estimated 1.5 to 2 million children could benefit from adoption. Sadly, only 0.2% of adoptable children are actually being adopted, and this appears to be declining.
According to Katinka Pieterse, Vice Chair of the National Adoption Coalition (NACSA), adoption is treated with a great deal of mistrust. “Globally, adoption has been shown to be the best permanent solution for children outside of the family. The low prevalence of marriage in SA and resulting vulnerability of single mothers, the weakening of the traditional extended family, and the impact of poverty and HIV/AIDS, has led to an alarming increase in abandoned babies.”
Nearly 40% of adoptable children are currently in foster care. This is far from an ideal situation for a child; not only is there a lack of stability or a sense of belonging, it is also not a permanent solution.
Katinka became involved with NACSA to be part of a collaborative long-term process of raising awareness around adoptions in SA. “All our initiatives are aimed at preventing abandonment of children, recruiting adoptive parents in SA and assisting young disempowered women finding themselves in unplanned pregnancies,” and she adds: “We are also uniting a previously fragmented adoption sector and we have developed crucial partnerships that have a united voice which assists with policy drafting, lobbying and advocacy initiatives.”
The Coalition focuses on a number of areas: creating awareness and educating people about adoption, advocacy, transformation, engaging in key partnerships, advocacy and implementation of the Children’s Act.
Katinka gets a great deal of satisfaction from her work. “Many young women may feel that their only solution is abandonment. When we are able to help them deal with the crisis of an unplanned pregnancy, I know that we are making a difference.”
NACSA has also started the process of uniting stakeholders in a fragmented environment. They have also succeeded in having very sensitive but important conversations about cultural differences and how this impacts what we perceive to be in the best interest of children. Helping children to find a loving home is a wonderful act of love.
This is Katinka’s story of help. To find out how you can help:
| Katinka Pieterse |
| email: katinka@abbaadoptions.co.za |
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