Child protection advocates from BRAVEAURORA are urging parents to keep children within family environments, warning that abandonment to institutions can have lasting social and emotional consequences.
Speaking on the State of Our Nation program hosted by Nicholas Azebire, members of the BRAVEAURORA said economic hardship and lack of access to basic services often push parents to send children away from home.
However, they stressed that such challenges should not lead to children being left in orphanages or in the care of others without follow-up.
“The fact that services are not available does not mean you should place a child somewhere and walk away,” a representative said. “Some parents leave their children and never return, yet expect them to grow into responsible adults.”
The team noted that children raised outside family systems often lose their sense of identity and connection to their roots, with some unable to identify their relatives or communities.
“In some cases, you meet children who cannot even tell where they come from or who their family is,” another member said.
They pointed to existing government interventions, including free basic education and access to health insurance, as support systems that can help families care for their children at home.
The advocates also called on communities to revive traditional support structures, particularly extended family systems, to assist vulnerable households.
“In our context, the family does not end with the parents,” the group said. “Relatives and community members all have a role to play in raising a child.”
They encouraged parents facing financial or social difficulties to seek help from institutions such as the Department of Social Welfare and other community support networks instead of abandoning children.
The team emphasized that strengthening family-based care remains critical to ensuring children grow up with proper values, identity and emotional support.
