10-year-old girl gives birth to a baby girl in colombia
A 10-year-old Colombian girl has sparked outrage after becoming one
of the world’s youngest ever mothers by giving birth to a healthy
daughter.
The girl, a member of an indigenous tribe called the Wayuu who are
based in the La Guajira Peninsula in the north of the country, was 39
weeks pregnant when she underwent a Caesarean section. Most pregnancies
are 38 weeks.
It was the first time the pre-teen, from the town of Manaure, had visited a doctor in connection with her pregnancy.
She reportedly arrived at the hospital bleeding, in floods of tears and ‘enormous’ pain from the contractions.
Doctors decided to carry out the risky operation because of her age –
and both mother and daughter, who weighed just 5lbs, are said to be
‘doing well’.
This is despite the mother refusing to breastfeed her newborn and the
pair being confined to the neo-natal unit of the hospital, which has
not been disclosed.
Although Colombian police could prosecute the father for underage
sex, the country’s constitution guarantees the Wayuu a certain amount of
autonomy.
It allows the tribe to maintain its own sovereignty and certain
cultural heritages, of which one is said to be the giving birth of
children at an extremely young age.
In any case the community has remained tight-lipped as to the
identity of the father, with some Colombian newspaper speculating it is a
15-year-old boy. Others believe it is a 30-year-old man.
The case has led to criticism from the director of the hospital where she gave birth.
Efraín Pacheco Casadiego told RCN La Radio: ‘We’ve already seen similar cases of wayuu girls.
‘At a time when (the girls) should be playing with dolls, they go to having to take care of a baby. It’s shocking.’
But Alejandro Samplayo, director of parenthood organisation Instituto
Colombiano Bienestar Familiar, referred to the tribe’s culture.
He added: ‘Since it’s a Wayuu girl we are trying to respect all of
their rights since they have autonomy and their own jurisdiction.’