Woman abandons baby at Hospital

A 21-year-old woman, who claims her baby does not give her enough time to attend to other significant things and therefore abandoned the baby, has been apprehended by the Ashaiman Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service.

The suspect, Joyce Kormlagah, a mother of two and a resident of Kanewu near Ashaiman, explained to police that her two-month old baby boy was taking all her time thereby disabling her to either trade or return to school to further her education.

Joyce, as a result of this predicament, took a trip to the Battor Catholic Hospital in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region where she left the baby in the care of a school girl under the pretext of attending to the call of nature. But she never returned until she was arrested by the police.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Jenifer Bolah, Ashaiman DOVVSU Co-ordinator, explained to DAILY GUIDE that on October 28, 2013 Joyce, who is a school dropout, explained to the father of her children that caring for the children was becoming a burden on her and could therefore no longer continue providing for them.

Joyce, according to the DOVVSU Coordinator, consequently asked the father of the children to either come for the children or provide assistance to help her cater for the children.

She added that when Joyce realised that the children’s father was not forthcoming with any support, she threatened to dump the baby somewhere which would be difficult to locate.

ASP Bolah noted that Joyce put his threat into action when she took the baby to the aforementioned hospital where she abandoned the baby. This was after she had pretentiously joined a queue with the intention of seeing a medical doctor at the facility, but ended up leaving the baby with a school girl and escaped to her house at Kanewu.

A concerned resident in Joyce area later noticed the disappearance of the baby and questioned Joyce who could not give any reasonable respond. The person therefore lodged a complaint at the Ashaiman Divisional DOVVSU.

The DOVVSU Coordinator said Joyce upon interrogation disclosed to the police where she had taken the baby. The baby was then found and sent to the Department of the Social Welfare for better care while an investigation into the matter continued.

Joyce, ASP Bolah indicated, had been granted bail but charged with abandoning the baby and exposing it to harm.