English
Kinyarwanda
Rwanda National Police (RNP) has strongly condemned acts of child abuse, and called on the general public to protect and fight for the rights of children.
The call follows an incident on October 5, in Mariba village, Kigabiro cell of Nyabitekera sector in Nyamasheke District, where Police and residents rescued a new born baby girl that had been dumped in a pit.
The baby was taken to Busenge Hospital where she is recovering.
In another child abuse incident was also reported in Yaramba cell, Nyankenke sector of Gicumbi District where a 24 year old woman identified as Sarah Uwapapa is alleged to have dumped her new born baby boy in a pit latrine shortly after giving birth.
The baby’s body was later exhumed and taken Byumba Hospital while Uwapapa was immediately arrested and currently detained at Byumba Police station.
The Northern Province Spokesperson, Inspector of Police (IP) Innocent Gasasira condemned the atrocious act calling it “wicked, vicious and cruel.”
He dismissed claims by women, who commit this heinous crime on grounds of “unwanted pregnancy, neglect from husbands or lack of means to raise them”.
“A new born baby is also a human being with right to life, to have or know parents and all other major necessities. The country looks at that country as a future resource, and you have no right, whatsoever to take their life. That’s why the government even has programmes to support parents without means to raise such children,” IP Gasasira said.
Infanticide, which is defined under Rwandan law as killing a biological or adopted child, is punished with life imprisonment under the Penal Code article 143.
