Misungwi community demands tougher penalties for child abandonment

MISUNGWI: FOLLOWING a rise in child abandonment cases by female parents in Misungwi District, community members have called on authorities to impose stern punishments on offenders to deter similar incidents.

The appeal was made this week during the ongoing Samia Legal Aid Campaign, by Old Misungwi Village Chairperson, Mr Seif Rashid, revealing that five children from three different families were abandoned last year, including two with disabilities.

He explained that some mothers request temporary custody of their children from neighbours, claiming they need to travel for emergencies, only to never return.

Following their disappearance, neighbours reported the matter to the Village Chairperson, who then contacted the social welfare office for assistance. As a result, the abandoned children were taken to childcare centres.

“This is a serious form of violence. A biological mother is naturally the primary caregiver for a child, but the situation today is quite different,” said Old Misungwi Village Chairperson, Mr Seif Rashid.

He emphasised that such abandonment severely affects the children both psychologically and physically, as their temporary guardians often struggle financially to provide for additional family members.

To enhance child safety, Mr Rashid plans to introduce a system requiring all new residents in Old Misungwi to have permanent addresses.

“This will make it easier to contact the children’s relatives in case their mothers go missing,” he added.

The District Social Welfare Officer, Philmon John, noted that the most recent child abandonment case occurred at the end of last year. In this incident, a mother asked a fellow tenant to care for her two children for two days but never returned.

However, the guardian could not continue supporting the children as she needed to leave Old Misungwi.

“She was forced to inform us and we managed to locate one of the missing mother’s partners, who revealed that she was working as a barmaid in a remote area.

Unfortunately, the information leaked, causing her to flee. With no other option, we had to place the children in a care centre,” he explained. Misungwi District State Attorney, Mr Proches Mkenda, emphasised that child abandonment was a criminal offence that can lead to legal prosecution.

“The accused could face up to five years in jail, a monetary fine, or both,” he stated.

He further explained that the offence endangers a child’s safety, comparing it to a situation where a parent keeps children at home but fails to provide them with food.