Under Sudan’s Islamic sharia law, sex outside marriage is illegal. The birth of a baby to an unmarried woman is proof of the crime. Public flogging is the usual punishment, but women also fear the shame that an illegitimate child brings on the whole family in Sudan’s conservative society.
As a result, every year thousands of babies are abandoned, on the streets and in hospitals. It’s estimated that 1500 babies are abandoned every year in the capital Khartoum alone. Many are brought to Khartoum’s orphanage, Mygoma, and face the prospect of growing up in an institution.
However, increasing numbers of abandoned children are now finding homes with adoptive and foster parents and are being integrated into the community. Wendy Wallace reports from Khartoum. |
