Boy (5) drowns at home while parents vote

A five-year-old boy who was left in the care of other children while his parents voted in Wednesday's election died after drowning in a drum filled with water.

The tragic accident occurred at Okambebe village at around 14:00.

According to the daily Ohangwena Police crime report, it is alleged that the child's body was discovered when his parents returned home after casting their votes during Wednesday’s presidential and National Assembly elections.

“It is alleged that the lifeless body of the deceased was found drowned in a plastic drum filled with water,” the police report reads.

“It is further reported that the deceased and other children were left home alone while the parents went to the polling stations for the election. Upon their return, the deceased was not seen with other children, so the mother started to search for him. One child ran to the smaller garden behind the house and the boy's body was found in the plastic drum with water.”

Home alone

The incident comes just months after Namibian Sun published a report on frequent cases of children being left home alone, exposing them to risky and sometimes fatal situations.

Namibian Sun highlighted incidents of children drowning in buckets of water, accidentally burning down houses or facing high-risk situations while left unsupervised.

Between January 2023 and March of this year, around 69 cases of child neglect were reported to the police. Incidents of children dying or finding themselves in dangerous situations due to neglect continue to be reported.

While some cases are reported to the police, particularly when a death occurs, many reportedly go unreported due to household cover-ups or family members' reluctance to speak out, often out of fear.

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