Death of baby highlights problems of teen pregnancy

Tonight we have a murder to report, not to mention news of the recovery of the bodies of two fishermen who were lost at sea … but we’ll lead our broadcast with the story of a thirteen year old girl. The unnamed minor has already been introduced as the babysitter who left her post only to find that the infant under her care died in her absence. However, tonight’s story is deals less with that death than it does with a social situation that forces young girls and their families to make disastrous decisions.

Jacqueline Godwin, Reporting
The thirteen year old, who was born in El Salvador, says she has been living in Belize since she was a baby. She says it was over a year ago that she met her twenty seven year old boyfriend and since then he has been living with the family that includes her mother and eleven year old sister. The minor, who is now eight months pregnant, refers to her boyfriend, who works as a mechanic, as her husband and says he has been financially supporting them.

Jacqueline Godwin
?So he is helping to support who? You and your mom??

Voice of 13 year old
?Yes, me and my mom and my little sister.?

Jacqueline Godwin
?Obviously your mom supports this or is she against it??

Voice of 13 year old
?The first time no. But I talk with she, she have to know this right. Mommy never knew that I was already pregnant for him. Afterwards when my aunty tell her where we me live. Then my mom got a little molested, but we done pass that already.?

The teenaged girl who says she wanted the baby has been preparing for the birth scheduled for sometime in August.

Jacqueline Godwin
?You no see anything wrong with this??

Voice of 13 year old
?No. I never think it would have gotten like this.?

Jacqueline Godwin
?Like how??

Voice of 13 year old
?You know nothing about court, nothing about that. I guess I never.?

Jacqueline Godwin
?So you no see anything wrong with what you are doing??

Voice of 13 year old
?No. I no see anything wrong. I just no want tek him to jail. I don?t want any problems.?

But what happened to this thirteen year old girl was wrong ? very wrong. In fact the National Committee for Families and Children reports that the minor is a victim of sexual abuse.

Judith Alpuche, Executive Director, N.C.F.C.
?This is a matter that is a child protection case as far as we are concerned. A pregnant thirteen year old is a victim of child abuse, of sexual abuse. And that case then needs to be investigated.?

The case highlights a troubling situation that is not unique: that is children having children. Over the last decade an average of twenty-two girls fourteen years old and under have given birth.

Judith Alpuche
?We are closely monitoring what social services or what the social sector is calling the sugar daddy phenomena, which is older men providing school books, other educational materials and paying rent for families.?

According to the minor her boyfriend has also promised to help her get an education.

Voice of 13 year old
?Oh yes. He told me that when I come out from my belly he will put me in school.?

Jacqueline Godwin
?He promised you to send you to school??

Voice of 13 year old
?Yes because I am young. I use to know how to read right. I know how to read the Spanish. The Spanish I can read good, but not the English good. That?s why he told him that I have to go to school.?

The thirteen year old?s case was first publicized on Monday after the fourteen month old baby she was hire to watch died after falling into a bucket of water. Also of concern is that the minor says it is not the first time that the authorities have known about her situation. She alleges the reason why her family moved to another location three weeks ago is because they were frustrated by monthly visits from a social worker.

Jacqueline Godwin
?Did they report this situation to the police??

Voice of 13 year old
?No. Because I didn?t want to do nothing. That is why mommy no do anything and neither me. That is why I tell them–I get molested with them because they want to take this to police and I say no. Why they want to put him to jail and he gives me money. He is there with me.?

According to Human Services Department Acting Director Debbie Lynch they first heard about the case in May, 2006. Lynch says at that time their preliminary investigation, which was conducted along with the police, revealed that the child was considered safe at the time because her boyfriend was not living with the family. Lynch says since the family moved, they have been trying to locate them but were unsuccessful. It is not certain why the police failed to charge the boyfriend, but he may not escape untarnished.

G. Michael Reid, Police Press Officer
?At this point it is certainly being looked at. We believe that there is certainly a charge that is possible for the individual who impregnated the young lady, who is thirteen years old.?

It is not clear whether if the minor?s mother will also be charged. According to Women?s Department?s Director Carol Fonseca parents need to be educated to help protect their children from abuse.

Carol Fonseca, Director, Women?s Department
?The very fact that the mother is condoning the fact that her daughter is thirteen and also pregnant is certainly a matter of concern. I think as a society we really need to take heed and make sure that these are things that are not happening in our society.?

One place pregnant girls can receive help is the Centre for Teen Mothers. According the Center?s outreach worker Greta Jenkins cases such as this one are rare. Most of the young women seeking assistance are between the ages of sixteen and twenty-four.

Greta Jenkins, Outreach Worker, Centre for Teen Mothers
?For the past year or so we have seen a decline in teenage mothers coming in to access our services. What I am hearing from most of the mothers is that they feel like they want somebody to love, so they believe that if they have a baby they have somebody they can love and who can love them back. So to me it seems like they are searching for someone to love them.?

We do not know what the future holds for the thirteen year old girl but she does not appear to be concerned about the next crucial several weeks.

Jacqueline Godwin
?You are not scared about having this baby??

Voice of 13 year old
?I no scared. I just know that I wanted the little baby. I no feel scared.?

Judith Alpuche
?This thing is happening with the complicity of families. It is difficult because families are in need economically, but how do we help them to put the protection of their child first and foremost. It is a classic thing of you can?t talk to people if there bellies are hungry, if there bellies are rumbling and their basic needs are not being met. I thing as we search for solutions that has to be first and foremost in our minds.?

Alpuche says the thirteen year old girl’s case highlights a number of issues that the N.C.F.C. has been working on, including enforcement of child abuse reporting laws and the urgent need to continue the reform of the child protection system.