Windhoek
A three-year-old girl was picked up by City Police today after she was seen wandering in Agste Laan in Otjomuise late on Monday afternoon and again on Tuesday morning by street vendors.
She was temporarily placed with a social worker from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare Elizabeth De Wee, who works at the Police Gender-Based Violence Investigation Division, formerly the Women and Child Protection Unit.
De Wee said the girl was seen walking around by vendors and by the time they closed their stalls on Monday evening she was still around.
She said the vendors thought the girl was one of the children who often play in the streets and return home late, but by 06h30 on Tuesday morning the child was still seen wandering around, so the vendors contacted the police.
The girl does not want to talk, hence her name is not known, nor who she lives with and where, but she nodded in affirmation when asked in Otjiherero if she lives with her grandmother.
She has short hair and was clad in a pink dress with flowers, a purple jersey, purple shoes and school bag with only an empty cool drink bottle inside.
De Wee noted that the child had no physical assault marks on her body and that the social workers could not detect any other injuries, as she had not yet been taken for medical examination at the time.
Anyone who can identify the child or their next of kin is asked to urgently contact the Police Gender-Based Violence Investigation Division at Katutura State Hospital.