Both sets of data presented confirm that measures for prevention of abandonment in Lesotho are lacking, while strategies for protection of affected children are weak. Of particular concern is that the findings suggest that women are denied the right to abort, as it is assumed that "being disappointed in the pregnancy and not being offered financial support" in Beauty's case and being abandoned on the roadside in Precious's case both indicate that abortion may have been contemplated as an option without follow-through action. Adoption availability could have prevented these children from being abandoned. While abortion as a contemplated action was not specifically explored in the interviews, it is possible that increased incidents of abandonment in Lesotho (Tamasane, 2011) are attributable to the absence of legal provision in Lesotho. Indeed, there is no safe system for relinquishment of parenting responsibilities. As such, children who end up in care facilities, fostered or adopted are most likely to have been abandoned, neglected and/or otherwise variously maltreated, as implied in the findings in the study.
The findings concur with attachment theory and the literature on the repercussions of abandonment and maltreatment. For instance, Beauty's apparent lack of self-esteem is attributable to a deformed internal working model, as described by Cassidy (2008), Lawler et al. (2011) and Roberson (2006), among others. Possibly, she regards herself as not worthy of love, explaining her reason for remaining in a hostile relationship. This type of relationship probably corresponds to the one she had with her biological mother in her first year of life. Such insecurity was also evident in Precious, where it was noted that she did not have any close friends, although this is an important social need in one's teens.