A 5-year-old child who has spent their entire life inside a prison in the Republic of Mauritius will soon be repatriated to South Africa. Picture: Pexels
Cape Town - A 5-year-old child who has spent their entire life inside a prison in the Republic of Mauritius will soon be repatriated to South Africa.
On Monday, a delegation from the Department of Social Development (DSD) departed for Mauritius to collect the child. They are expected to return to South Africa on Friday.
The biological mother of the child was incarcerated in Mauritius for drug trafficking and was pregnant at the time of her arrest in May 2019.
DSD spokesperson, Bathembu Futshane, said the department was not able to confirm when the mother is expected to be released from prison.
“We will only find out upon meeting with officials from the Republic of Mauritius. Our primary interest as a department is to ensure we protect the child and ensure we act in her best interests first,” Futshane said.
The Children’s Act mandates the department to repatriate South African children distressed in foreign countries and since 2015, 22 children have been repatriated.
On May 15, the Department of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco) requested the DSD to assist with family tracing, assessment and possible repatriation of the child.
The child will be handed over to the nominated grandmother in the North West province.
The department said the grandmother has been assessed and found to be suitable to look after the child.
Dirco was approached for comment yesterday, but did not respond to requests for further information on the matter.
Dr Shaheda Omar, clinical director at the Teddy Bear Foundation, said in an incarcerated setting, the environment was more punitive and not focused on healing and promoting the best interests of the child.
“I’m not saying the intention or the purpose is to harm the child, but it’s not there to serve the interests of the child at all times.”
It was important, however, to minimise any kind of abandonment by the mother.
“It’s not ideal for any child to be in an incarcerated state but I think taking a child away from her mother who is the child’s primary caregiver does require intensive work, and the child will probably have to continue with therapy because it’s traumatic for the child.”
Omar said it was important not to discount or dismiss the impact of separation from the biological mother.
“It’s critical because that is the primary attachment and I’m not sure to what extent the nature of the attachment … but the important thing is that the child will have to work through these processes as the child grows older as well.
“There will be moments where the child will have flashbacks of her time spent with her mother and she could go into a state of regression and, of course, suffer from abandonment issues. It could certainly impact on her behaviour, her interaction with others. I think the key thing that stands out for me is trust issues. Will she be able to trust adults in the future?
“Therefore this transition is key and critical. It cannot be taken or treated lightly. It’s got to be treated with a lot of intensity, with a lot of support, engagement, and handover where the biological mother is also part of that handover process.”
shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za