Characterization of Newborns Abandoned in a Third Level Hospital in Cali, Colombia,
in the Period of 2016 - 2017.

Background: In Latin America, violence against minors within families is manifested mainly through physical punishment, sexual abuse, abandonment and economic exploitation. In Colombia, the State is the main figure in charge of protecting, preventing, guaranteeing and restoring the rights of children and adolescents. In 2003, the 3 main causes of denunciation by Child misstreatment were: Physical abuse, sexual abuse and total abandonment. The information of the latter has limitations, due to the high level of under registration. This problem is experienced more and more frequently in hospitals, where abandoned babies are sent for clinical assessment.

Objective: To determine the clinical and sociodemographic characteristics of mothers and abandoned newborns in a Hospital of III Level of Cali, Colombia, in the period between the years 2016 – 2017.

Methodology: A cross-sectional descriptive, retrospective study utilizing the information recorded in 42 reports made by social workers during two years (2016-2017), regarding patients participating in the study and their respective medical records.

Results: It was found that the proportion of mothers without a partner corresponded to 42.8%, Primary-only school graduates 33.3%, no prenatal control 50%, with less than three prenatal controls 73.9%, unwanted pregnancy 69%. Regarding the newborn, it was observed that 57.2% had intrauterine growth restriction, 23.8% congenital syphilis, 42.8% respiratory alterations. The most frequent cause of abandonment were mothers with a history of psychoactive substance use 59.5% and inhabitants of the street 16.7%. The abandonment rate in the neonatal uci of hospital was 16.15 per thousand live births per year. The probability of not initiating prenatal control in mothers who do not have a partner was 7 times the probability of those who have a partner (OR 7 IC95% 1.66-29.38).

Conclusions: Abandoned children in health institutions represent a major public health problem in low-income countries.