WALVIS BAY - The death of a seven-year-old girl in Walvis Bay has sparked a public debate on the increasing cases of child neglect and whether Namibians are aware of this social scourge.

The suicide involves a girl, identified as Annastasia Tilomalenga Kampulu, a grade two learner at Immanuel Ruiters Primary School, in Kuisebmond who reportedly committed suicide after she was locked in the house by her mother who went to church.

According to the weekend crime report of the Namibian Police in Erongo, Annastasia hanged herself after she was left alone and locked inside the family’s home in Kwilimba Street on Thursday evening.

Crime investigations coordinator for Nampol in Erongo, Deputy Commissioner Erastus Iikuyu, told the media over the weekend that Annastasia’s mother allegedly left her alone when she, the mother, went to  church with a younger sibling.
“The mother only came back at midnight and also found her elder son waiting for her outside the house out as he did not have a key to open the door,” Iikuyu explained

The mother allegedly noticed her daughter was not in her bed when she opened the door and started looking for her around the house.  

They later found her lifeless body hanging in a wardrobe with a cloth around her neck.
“She was not moving at all and Nampol was called to the scene,” he said.

No foul play is suspected at this stage and a post-mortem is expected to be carried out this week to determine the exact cause of death.
It was not yet clear by yesterday afternoon whether a case of child neglect will be opened against Annastasia’s mother.