In HP,13-yr-old ‘raped’ by uncle gives birth
To help Court orders state to provide foolproof care to mother,child.
A 13-year-old orphan girl from a remote Kullu village has given birth to a child at a Shimla hospital after being sexually exploited by her maternal uncle.
The girl who was brought to Shimla’s Deen Dayal Upadhyaya,by members of a child helpline,gave birth to a female child last week.
The matter came to fore Saturday after the Himachal Pradesh High Court,taking suo motu cognisance of some reports in local media,directed the state government to lodge an FIR against the accused uncle and create a “foolproof system of 24X 7 care for the minor and her child,besides exploring possibilities of her education at a local school later.”
A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice R B Misra and Justice Rajiv Sharma,ordered director,Social Justice and Women Empowerment,Madhubala Sharma to oversee the arrangements.
Raising the issue of human sensitivity,the court said,“ A 13-year-old girl giver birth to a child after being sexually exploited by her close relation.. She is an orphan and not in a position to look after the child. The entire society is required to take care of the mother and her baby. In these circumstances,we have thought it fit to invoke the parens patriae (the ultimate guardian of the child) jurisdiction for an urgent intervention.”
Taking note of a local family,which had earlier expressed interest in providing support to the minor girl and her child,the court said,“In case any family is ready and willing to adopt the baby,all the formalities,in accordance with law,shall be completed within shortest period not more than two months. The district welfare officer,Shimla,shall visit the mother and baby every 48 hours,” the bench said.
The court also sought a report on whether the girl can be admitted to Portmore School,where boarding and lodging facilities are available.
Inquiries reveal that the girl and her elder sister,who is now 16 years old,had been living with their maternal uncle after the death of their parents. It was this uncle who started sexually exploiting her. The girl was unaware about her pregnancy for the first six six months till the day she complained about acute pain in her lower abdomen .
“The accused uncle took her to a local primary health centre near Kullu,where doctors declared her six months pregnant. Her elder sister later called a child helpline number at Manali. The child helpline members brought her to Shimla,where after few weeks of her stay at local orphanage,she was admitted to the hospital where she gave birth gave birth to the child,” a Shimla citizen attending her at the hospital said.
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