Paraguay News: Mother of 11-Year-Old Pregnant Girl in Paraguay Says She Tried to Get Help for Daughter, Case Was Dismissed by Prosecutors
On April 21, a mother in Paraguay took her 10-year-old daughter to a hospital and discovered that the girl was 21 weeks pregnant.
The world reacted in horror when it was discovered that the child, who was impregnated by her stepfather, was not allowed to have the pregnancy terminated, as under Paraguayan law the procedure is only legal when the mother’s life is in immediate risk.
What the state did end up doing was imprisoning the girl’s mother on charges of failing in her parental duties and of being complicit in the sexual abuse that had occurred.
Now, just out of jail, the woman is speaking about the situation and claiming that she had gone to authorities before this happened, looking for help.
"I was the one who reported all of this, asking for justice to be done and hoping that something would be done, but prosecutors dismissed the case," she said.
Speaking to CNN, the woman -- who remains unidentified as per Paraguayan law -- maintains that if not for her efforts, “this would have never gotten to this point."
The woman now stands accused of child neglect and complicity while the stepfather accused of rape is in jail.
Doctors will most likely induce labor soon because of the health risk associated with bringing the baby to full term. Telegraph reports that Mirta Moragas Mereles, who advocates for the now 11-year-old girl, said that the young girl is nearly seven months pregnant. They are waiting until it is seven months so that induction can begin.
The child’s mother, who describes years of suffering threats and abuse from her husband, explained her plans for taking care of her daughter’s coming child.
"We are going to wait for the baby to be born," she said. "And between my whole family, we are going to take care of her baby, so she can keep studying. ... Because nothing that happened to her was her fault."
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