Somali refugees abandon babies at Dadaab camp

Save the Children says it has placed record numbers of Somali children with foster families in recent months Some parents fleeing conflict and famine in Somalia are abandoning their babies after arriving at the vast refugee complex at Dadaab, Kenya, a charity has said . Save the Children said it had placed record numbers of unaccompanied children with foster families in recent months, including a small number of babies abandoned by their families after arriving at the camps. Staff say it is unclear why the babies were left, but they believe it is probably a result of the desperation felt by parents who have often walked for weeks without food, water or shelter. Nasib, a two-month old infant, was found on a roadside by a woman who took him to a police station. The woman was asked by police to care for the child while they investigated the case. Another baby, Naifin, was left in the home of a registered refugee by his mother who had just arrived from Somalia. She had asked to stay overnight after arriving at the camp, but fled before dawn, leaving her child behind. Both families are being supported by Save the Children’s child protection team in Dadaab. “We can only imagine the levels of desperation driving parents to abandon tiny babies in this way,” said Prasant Naik, the charity’s Kenya country director. “After walking from Somalia without food and water, it is clear that some parents feel that they cannot care for their children any more, despite having reached help.” Child protection staff also report a sharp increase in the number of children coming from Somalia without their families. In July, Save the Children helped 80 unaccompanied children who arrived at the camp, up from a monthly average of 22 in 2010. Children separated from their parents face the risk of sexual abuse, forced labour and being caught up in violence, the charity said. They are also more vulnerable to malnutrition and disease. About 1,400 Somalis arrive every day at Dadaab, the world’s biggest refugee complex , pushing the number of recorded refugees beyond 400,000. The flow of Somalis across the border is expected to continue in the coming months. Famine has been declared in five regions of Somalia, and aid is arriving only slowly because of logistical challenges and restrictions imposed by the al-Shabab insurgents who control some of the worst-hit areas. Many of the refugees are arriving in poor shape, with many children suffering from malnutrition. The three Dabaab camps – Dagahaley, Ifo and Hagadera – were originally set up 20 years ago when Somalis first started fleeing drought and war. They were designed for 90,000 people, but the population quickly grew as Somalia descended into a failed state. The UN office for humanitarian affairs (OCHA) has warned that the famine is likely to get worse in the coming weeks. The number of acutely malnourished children in Somalia, currently standing at 390,000, could double within the next year. Somalia Kenya Africa Famine Refugees Mark Tran guardian.co.uk

Posted by on August 14, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.