Pretoria - As the soccer World Cup in Brazil draws closer, Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini has warned young women about being lured into drug trafficking by drug syndicates.
On Thursday morning, another baby born in a Brazilian prison was repatriated back to South Africa by the Department of Social Development. His South African mother is serving a prison sentence in Brazil for drug trafficking.
“This is the third South African baby in 10 months to be repatriated from Brazil. The department is in the process of repatriating two more babies from Brazil,” the department said in a statement.
South Africa is obligated by the Children's Act to repatriate all South African children in distress in foreign countries. Unlike South Africa, where female offenders can stay with their babies in prison until their 5th birthday, children born to jailed mothers in Brazil can stay with them only up to the age of six months.
The nine-month-old baby, repatriated on Thursday, will be placed in the care of relatives. The department explained that it is guided by the mother of the child regarding the placement of the child when back in South Africa.
“While other children are placed in the care of relatives, others are placed in foster care.”
Since 2008, a total of 13 South African children in distress abroad have been repatriated back to South Africa by the Department of Social Development.
The country has since 1994 seen the department facilitating the steady flow of repatriations of children in distress from countries abroad.
Although most of these children were babies born to South African mothers in foreign countries who needed alternative care, the department noted that many other children in distress were also assisted. These children include those who were abducted from South Africa, South African children living and working on the streets in foreign countries, children who were deported from foreign countries and suspected victims of trafficking.
“The return of these children forms part of the 20 years of successes our democratic government has achieved and bears testimony to a government that values its citizen and has empathy with the often difficult situation South African children find themselves in,” Minister Dlamini said. – SAnews.gov.za
