The Illegality of Baby Safes as a Hindrance to Women who want to Relinquish their Parental Rights

Child Welfare South Africa estimated that more than 3500 babies were abandoned in South Africa in 2010. 200 babies were estimated in 2010 to be found in Johannesburg and Soweto monthly of which only 60 were found alive. These babies are left for dead in places such as drains, sewers, open fields, rubbish dumps, toilets and dustbins. This problem is not unique to South Africa as recent reports all over the world and more recently in Australia also demonstrate a desperate situation. Although not considered legal, the first baby safes in South Africa were established in July 1999 by Door of Hope Children’s Mission at a church in Berea Johannesburg, referred to as the “Hole in the Wall”. Some of these organizations operate under major pressure from The Child Welfare Organization to shut their doors even though no one is able to answer the question as to what will happen to the innocent babies if these hatches are closed. In most legal systems abandoning a child is seen as a crime; nevertheless some systems allow legal abandonment that goes beyond giving the child up for adoption. I will start off by examining the intricacies of these laws and conclude by indicating how the introduction of these baby safes in South Africa will save the lives of thousands of babies a year.