Child abandonment Five dramatic cases of mothers in Addis Ababa

InEthiopia,many children are abandoned every year, directly or indirectly, in harsh or relatively safe environments. The problem appears to be more serious in Addis Ababa than in any other urban area of Ethiopia. In this paper, I present five dramatic cases of child abandonment which led to the death of the child, and examine the possible factors that account for this practice. The article is based on interviews with mothers, police officers, and court officials and on the study of hospital records. The problem of child abandonment in Addis Ababa is mainly linked to general conditions of poverty, incompatibilities in marital life and problems of migration.