Foundling and Abandoned Children in Palestine

Abstract

The study addressed foundling and abandoned children in the Palestinian society as a multi-dimensional phenomenon. The study consisted of a retrospective transversal survey of one hundred and fifteen abandoned children, and ninety-two abandoning mothers purposefully selected from the records of Crèche Institution in Bethlehem, West Bank. The findings indicated that the ratio of foundling and abandoned children in the Palestinian society is very low comparison with international figures. The study concludes that child abandonment in the Palestinian society is a risk factor, and that under-reporting of offences, especially incest is widespread in the Palestinian patriarchal society.