The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has arrested a 20-year-old woman for allegedly throwing her two-month-old baby into an old toilet in Charigwati Village, Seke, on December 21, 2023. The police discovered the baby’s body in the toilet after receiving a report. The woman had left Chitungwiza and moved to Mayambara Village, Seke, while her husband was at work. Read the police report:
Police in Chitungwiza have arrested a 20-year-old woman for a case of infanticide in which she allegedly dumped her two-months-old daughter in a disused toilet at Charigwati Village, Seke, on 21/12/23. The suspect had escaped from Chitungwiza while her husband had gone to work and relocated to Mayambara Village, Seke. The offence came to light after the husband found the suspect without the child on 22/12/23. The police have since retrieved the remains from the disused toilet.
Baby Dumping is a growing problem:
Baby dumping is a prevalent crime in Zimbabwe, with many women being arrested for it over the years. Some women attribute their actions to poverty, while others abandon their babies in hopes of securing relationships with new partners. The president of the Zimbabwe National Traditional Healers Association (ZINATHA), George Kandiero, believes that women often abandon their babies due to neglect by the father. Kandiero also believes that baby dumping may be a result of multiple partners, making it difficult for the mother to identify the child’s biological father.
Some argue that the lack of financial resources to support the baby is a common reason, while some emphasise the importance of educating girls about reproductive issues to prevent such situations. In 2021, a student from Great Zimbabwe University was sentenced to six months in jail for baby dumping. She explained to the court that she didn’t know what to do with the baby since she was still studying at the university.