A 31-year-old mother whose name has been withheld by local authorities in Eastern Equatoria’s Torit town is said to have left her 11-month-old baby with her husband whom she deserted for Juba five days ago.
The local authorities said they have been in communication with the woman’s mother to find her whereabouts.
Odiongo Peter, the father of the abandoned child on Monday confirmed to Radio Tamazuj that his wife has been missing for the last five days and is suspected to have traveled to Juba. He however insisted that they have not had any misunderstanding.
“That day I slept at my older wife’s home and my younger wife who abandoned my child and lives in the Addis Ababa suburb of Torit town came to me with the child at my elder wife’s home and said she was going to her sister’s home,” he explained. “She left the child seated playing. The child is 11 months old and not yet even crawling. After twenty minutes, she did not return and I called her and she said she was just at the neighbor’s home. After another 30 minutes, I called again and I think that was the time she was climbing a bodaboda to go to the Ibalany checkpoint where she boarded a car for Juba. She told me to take care of the child and that she had no problem with me.”
“However, she once told me that she wants to go to Juba,” Odiongo added.
He said that he has difficulties looking after the infant who keeps crying for milk and his mother and appealed for support.
“I cannot sleep at night because the child cries throughout and I suspect the child might be sick. He has a lot of demands and needs milk which I have been buying. The milk has been helping in occasionally stopping the crying,” the father stated. “I am appealing for well-wishers to support me with milk and pampers and even food for him to eat because I now have to take care of my baby day and night without any work.”
For her part, Dominica Idwa, the Director General in Eastern Equatoria State Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare, said that in collaboration with partners, they are mobilizing resources to support the abandoned child.
“We are aware of the information as a ministry and we are trying to make sure the child is assisted because he is still suckling so it is very difficult to give him other types of food. The child is still feeding on milk,” she observed. “The ministry trying, with partners, to make sure this child is assisted. We are also working with the family of the baby’s mother to ensure that she returns. If there is a problem, she should not use it to leave her children because it is not fair.”
Meanwhile, Eunice Nakiru, the Executive Director of the Mother and Daughter Support Organization, condemned the mother for deserting her child and urged authorities to investigate and hold the woman accountable.
“This needs more investigation to find out why the mother abandoned the baby with her husband and escaped because this child is very innocent. A child of 11 months is not supposed to be left with a husband because this child still breastfeeds and cannot eat. The child still needs the love of the mother,” Nakiru said. “She has done wrong and this shows that she is not responsible. It is a very big mistake before God and I am appealing that she returns to take care of the innocent child. I am appealing to mothers not to repeat such mistakes.”