The increasing rate of abandoned children in Mauritius has drawn the attention of the Minister for Children. They are the ones that arouse the concern of foreign visitors who come to Mauritius. Hostels are collapsing, social ills persist, families are stretched, foster parents are in short supply, and yet the Minister is confident of turning the tide.
The number of children placed in shelters is increasing at an initial rate and the Minister for Women and Child Welfare attributes the trend to the alarming erosion of family values, persistent domestic violence and the growing lack of compassion shared by parents. .
Alcoholism, domestic violence and poor communication are the few factors identified by the ministry. The key to combating this problem is to inform the public that the ministry has the competence and skills to help them through their times of difficulty. The authorities are already turning to parents to improve the family environment. Pre-marriage counselling, marriage enrichment and also ‘men as partners’ programs are underway and the minister feels these supports are vital to a healthy family environment.
The Minister has pointed out that men, like women, have trouble adjusting to their new roles in society, where households with two working parents are becoming more common. In the past, the man was the sole breadwinner for the family with the woman raising the children. Now both are working, and men should realize that they have to take on additional responsibility to share the burden of raising a family. We have also found that financially independent women tend to reduce their family duties. This shows that there is an imbalance that many families fail to address.
With the collaboration of private organizations, the ministry intends to offer abandoned children a safe, enriching and dignified life. The minister also agrees that the rules for fostering a child are very strict and a rigorous selection exercise is applied. The minister says that she agrees that the system is difficult, but that foster parents need to appreciate that the law is in the best interests of the child and stakeholders.
The Foster Care president says the main obstacle to speeding up procedures is friendlier families who want to have children in care. They’ve contacted the Attorney General’s office, and it seems there’s something in the pipeline.
