Zimpapers Logo

The Rhodesia Herald,

17 February 1970

AIRLINE chiefs are investigating an incident in which a four-month-old baby was loaded into the cargo hold of a Boeing jet.

The baby was discovered asleep in its carry-cot among baggage, minutes before the airliner took off. It had been put into the hold by a porter at Dublin Airport for a flight to Birmingham.

Just as the hold doors were being closed, the child’s parents realised their baby had vanished.

The mother dashed to the door of the aircraft and her cries alerted the porter, walking away across the tarmac.

He retrieved the baby and it was reunited with its parents in the passenger compartment.

LESSONS FOR TODAY

Although child abductions/kidnappings are not prevalent in Zimbabwe, the unfortunate scenario is that the number of child abductions in Western countries continue to spike.

In countries like the United States of America, reports are that every 40 seconds a child goes missing, which translates to 460 000.

Child abductions can be done by strangers and/or family members.

It’s society’s responsibility to protect children and if a child is abducted, the case should quickly be reported to the police.

It is also unfortunate that in Africa when children are abducted, it would be for purposes of ritual killings.

It is the responsibility of all parents to ensure the safety of their children, especially in urban areas where some are very careless about their children.