Pregnant 8-year-old Girl Refuses To Reveal Name Of Abuser
A pregnant nine-year-old girl from Tsholotsho has refused to give police the name of the man who raped her, reported ZimLive.
The girl, from Masekesa Village under Chief Gampu, was just eight years old when she was impregnated.
Doctors say the child has a rare condition of “precocious puberty” – when hormone glands are activated earlier than normal.
Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) national spokesman Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said they first received a report of rape on 30 August this year, when the Grade 3 pupil was already seven months pregnant. Nyathi said on Tuesday:
The child was taken for a medical which revealed the pregnancy. Regrettably, to date, she has not revealed the name of the person who sexually abused her. We believe as police that she was threatened.
I must stress that we won’t give up, we’re still conducting our investigations with specialist officers, medical experts and counsellors who are doing their best to get to the bottom of this matter.
The girl is currently admitted at the United Bulawayo Hospitals and is expected to give birth by caesarean section sometime in November.
United Bulawayo Hospitals acting CEO Dr Harrison Murambanapasi disclosed that doctors are expecting “a lot of challenges” during the Tsholotsho girl’s delivery.
Abortion is illegal in Zimbabwe
Abortion is illegal in Zimbabwe but doctors can terminate pregnancies after rape victims obtain a court order under provisions of the Termination of the Pregnancy Act.
However, in the case of the Tsholotsho child, doctors decided an abortion would be too dangerous after she was taken to the United Bulawayo Hospitals already eight months pregnant.
Meanwhile, the youngest person ever to give birth is Lina Media from Peru, who gave birth aged five years and seven months in 1939.
Medina’s father was arrested on suspicion of sexual abuse but was later released due to lack of evidence, and the baby’s biological father was never identified.
