Omar Sherifedeen, the Director of Social Welfare in Central Equatoria State, reported that two of the abandoned children have died.

He noted that three parents who abandoned their children have been located.

Sherifedeen emphasized the urgent need to engage the community to combat the rising trend of child abandonment.

“This issue is becoming increasingly concerning; this month alone, we received three abandoned children. Since the start of the year, we have found a total of seven, and alarmingly, two of them have died,” he said.

He attributed the problem primarily to poverty and polygamy, explaining, “Many families struggle financially, and in cases of polygamy, when men have multiple wives, the responsibility for the children often becomes overwhelming.”

Sherifedeen also urged against abandoning children due to unwanted pregnancies.

“My message to families is for mothers to remain close and supportive of their children, understanding the challenges they face. If an unwanted pregnancy occurs, we encourage families to bring the child to us at social welfare so we can provide the necessary support, rather than abandoning or harming the child,” he stated.