Girl, 11, raped ‘by her stepfather’ gives birth to daughter despite mother’s

An 11-year-old Paraguayan girl who had been denied an abortion gave birth on Thursday, the culmination of a case that put a spotlight on child rape in the poor South American nation and drew criticism from human rights groups. The girl gave birth to a baby girl via cesarean at a Red Cross hospital in Paraguay’s capital of Asuncion.

In photo above, a 13-year-old girl holds her one-month old baby at a shelter for troubled children in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay, on Thursday, May 14, 2015.

While the case did spark some discussion about abortion in deeply socially conservative Paraguay, the focus of several protests was on better protecting children from abuse. Officials ruled the pregnancy could proceed.

According to a 2013 United Nations report, 2 million girls under age 14 give birth in developing countries every year, many of whom suffer resulting long-term or fatal health problems. She stands just 1.39m tall and weighed just 34kg before her pregnancy.

The girl will stay under observation for 72 hours at the Asuncion hospital where the baby was delivered.

In June, the health ministry rejected a request for an abortion, despite the opinion of physicians who said that the girl would be exposed to many health risks if she continued with the pregnancy. The stepfather was arrested and awaits trial and mother was charged with negligence allowing her husband to harm her daughter.

Gilberto who is married to the girl’s mother, ran after what he did to the young girl was made pubic.

The girl said she was raped by her stepfather.

“She was always at his mercy because the mother worked”.

London-based rights group Amnesty global has called on Paraguay’s government to repeal its strict anti-abortion law, saying the girl was lucky to survive the ordeal.

Paraguay only allows abortion when a mother’s life is in danger.

The case caused an uproar in this traditionally Catholic country and overseas because authorities had refused to let the girl have an abortion.

“If women and girls feel comfortable about their bodies, know what is appropriate and are comfortable talking to their teachers and parents, they would be able to denounce abuse a lot earlier and feel empowered to say no to abusive situations”, Avila-Guillen argued, adding that free access to adequate contraception is also “fundamental” in preventing unwanted pregnancies.