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Denied abortion, child rape victim gives birth in Paraguay

August 14, 2015

An 11-year-old girl has given birth in Paraguay, in a case that has put a spotlight on the country's strict abortion ban. It is alleged the girl's stepfather repeatedly raped her.

https://p.dw.com/p/1GFKh
Paraguay Mädchen Vergewaltigung Schwangerschaft Abtreibung Krankenhaus
Image: AFP/Getty Images/N. Duarte

The child gave birth to a healthy 3.5 kilogram (eight pound) girl in an Asuncion hospital on Thursday.

The authorities' handling of the case sparked outrage in the Catholic country, where abortion is illegal except when the mother's life is at risk.

The unnamed girl, who turned 11 in May, was 37 weeks pregnant when she gave birth by Cesarean section. She stands just 1.39 meters (four feet six inches) tall and weighed just 34 kilos (75 pounds) before her pregnancy.

Mario Villalba, director of the Red Cross hospital, said the delivery "was like any other Cesarean, without complications, the difference being the age."

The case has sparked international controversy and put pressure on the Vatican which continues to oppose abortion in virtually every instance. London-based rights group Amnesty International has called on Paraguay's government to repeal its strict anti-abortion law, saying the girl was lucky to survive the ordeal.

Erika Guevara, the rights group's director for the Americas, said the fact that the birth apparently went well "does not excuse the human rights violations she suffered at the hands of the Paraguayan authorities."

Authorities in Paraguay "decided to gamble with her health, life and integrity despite overwhelming evidence that this pregnancy was extremely risky and despite the fact that she was a rape victim and a child," she said.

Allegedly raped by stepfather

Gilberto Benitez Zarate, accused of raping his 10-year-old stepdaughter, immediately after his May 9, 2015 arrest.
Gilberto Benitez Zarate, accused of raping his 10-year-old stepdaughter, immediately after his May 9, 2015 arrest.Image: AFP/Getty Images/N. Duarte

The girl's stepfather allegedly raped and impregnated her when she was 10. The 42-year-old man has been arrested and is awaiting trial. He faces 12 to 15 years in prison, if convicted.

The mother had requested an abortion for her daughter, but the government refused to allow it. Prosecutors have charged her with criminal negligence, though she has been allowed to visit her daughter.

The girl's grandmother has requested custody of the baby, a family lawyer told the AP news agency.

Norma Benitez, spokeswoman for the Latin American Women's Commission, said her group would now push the government to provide a safe environment for the girl that includes both her mother and grandmother.

"The Paraguayan state must fulfil its role of protecting children by providing a home and a dignified life" for this family, she said.

International campaigners have accused Paraguay of failing to protect girls from sexual predators as statistically, two girls aged between 10 and 14 give birth every day, according to UNICEF.

At the hospital where the 11-year-old rape victim gave birth Thursday, three other girls, all aged 12, are due to give birth in a few weeks.

jar/jr (AFP, AP)