Sem Billy David I
Recently, the Minister of Gender and Child Welfare, Emma Kantema, said that Namibia’s Child Care and Protection Act 3 of 2015 now allows a mother in crisis to safely abandon her newborn baby at designated places such as police stations, hospitals, or schools without facing criminal charges, provided strict conditions are met. These efforts are meant to prevent baby dumping and protect innocent lives from suffering a harsh start to life. The intention is pure and should be welcomed.
However, her statement raises serious concerns about how prepared we truly are to implement this in practice. What concrete preparations has the ministry made to ensure that these facilities are ready, and that social workers are in place to receive these babies? Or are mothers expected to abandon their babies to empty buildings, to ghosts and gunners?
Where exactly are these safe abandonment spots located? Is it just anywhere near the police station, in the yard, or at the gate? Has clear information been shared with the public? Is the public even aware of how this system is supposed to work?
While policymakers work hard to pass laws that protect child dignity and welfare and aim to stop baby dumping, the reality on the ground still raises questions. We must ask whether a practical system truly exists in terms of:
- the availability and readiness of facilities,
- the moral and emotional tension around last-minute emergency abandonment,
- the shared responsibility of parenting,
- access to information and services, and
- the protection of the child’s dignity and future.
At present, many of the places indicated by the minister as stations for safe abandonment are not prepared, furnished, or properly designated to receive babies. These places are not staffed with trained social workers equipped with the skills to handle newborns and to provide counselling to mothers in crisis.
Police officers are trained primarily to deal with crime. Teachers are trained to educate. With their heavy workloads, they cannot realistically be expected to shift their attention to the delicate and demanding task of receiving and caring for abandoned babies. Meanwhile, social workers are largely invisible in many communities and in these facilities.
Has the ministry considered mothers who are afraid to come forward? If social workers are invisible, who exactly will receive these babies at the so‑called safe centres?
In May 2024, I was featured in the Namibian Sun, calling on the ministry to deploy social workers to the centres mentioned, and to make them accessible to the public so that people can register their problems, fears, and needs with them. I wish to reiterate and expand on those proposals.
Firstly, the ministry needs to conduct a proper feasibility study in communities to identify the root causes of baby dumping and to determine how best a baby can be safely abandoned at nearby legal facilities. Most of these cases occur in informal settlements and remote areas where the designated facilities may be very far away. This often happens because the public is not well informed or guided on what they are supposed to do. Recently, we heard about an incident involving a mother who threw her twins into a pod; this is very disturbing news, but as a nation, we can prevent such incidents from occurring.
The government’s request for vulnerable mothers to place their babies in safe spaces can save lives through abandonment options, but these measures are not a complete solution. Governments must address the root causes that drive mothers to these desperate situations. Many women face stigma, bullying, and rejection by their families, not to mention their partners, poverty, abuse, and mental health challenges. If these underlying issues are not addressed, the problem will continue.
Secondly, the ministry should deploy or station social workers in all corners of our communities to educate people, highlight the key factors that contribute to baby dumping, and share information on how to act legally and safely if abandonment becomes the only option. We need community‑based social workers just as we have community health workers.
This will allow community members to approach them and register their problems early. The ministry should establish an office or at least a dedicated room for social workers at police stations, schools, churches, and clinics—not just at big hospitals.
Thirdly, the ministry should construct dedicated, dignified spaces—small rooms or safe “baby cages” at the gates or within the premises of these facilities—where mothers can anonymously and safely leave babies, in line with Section 227 of the Act. This section outlines the legal procedure by which a parent can safely and anonymously leave an unwanted baby at an approved safe place.
These spaces must not look like the sad scenes we often see now: babies dumped in cardboard boxes, wrapped in plastic, or covered in random materials. Properly designed safe‑surrender spaces can protect babies from injury, exposure, and trauma. Social workers or designated staff should be responsible for checking these spaces regularly—every morning and throughout the day—to ensure that no baby is left unattended.
Lastly, the ministry must provide clear public information on where mothers can go to register an unwanted pregnancy and seek help. Conditions should be put in place to ensure that mothers who come forward receive support—emotional, social, and where possible, material. Once an unwanted pregnancy is identified, or when a mother expresses concerns about raising her child, the government should provide comprehensive support. This support should go beyond diapers and infant formula. It should include food assistance, clothing, counseling, safe accommodation where necessary, and programs that help mothers become self-sufficient.
This will help prevent desperate decisions and save both mothers and babies from tragic outcomes. At the same time, the ministry must put in place mechanisms to deal with fathers who refuse to take responsibility for their children. Baby dumping and unsafe abandonment are not just “women’s issues”. They are a reflection of wider social, economic, and gender injustices.
Safe baby abandonment should not only exist on paper or in speeches. It must be supported by real preparation, real people, and real services. Otherwise, we risk creating a law that sounds compassionate, while in practice leaving mothers and babies alone with their fear, shame, and despair—abandoned not to safe hands, but to ghosts and gunners.
In conclusion, Namibia has a small population yet is a resource-rich country; however, we continue to witness alarming cases of abandoned babies and discarded foetuses. This should be a wake-up call for policymakers. We require preventive measures rather than merely emergency responses, extensive media coverage, and countless speeches.
Sem Billy David I is a youth leader and Community Activist
