10 year old Columbian girl gives birth

[muffynbear]

http://www.examiner.com/civil-rights-in ... the-father

A girl from Colombia recently became one of the youngest mothers in recorded history . It was reported on Friday that the 10-year-old girl gave birth to her daughter by cesarean section. The girl's daughter weighed just five pounds. The police are unsure of who the father is as well as the age of the father. Charges may not be pressed, however, as the tribe has its own jurisdiction.The 10-year-old mother is a member of the Wayuu tribe, which is indigenous in Northern Colombia.

With some photos:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ghter.html

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.

[apple1]

How very tragic.

[GeoBQn]

She's off by a few years. The youngest recorded mother was 6 years old. Awful.

[Third]

How awful. Glad to know the government protects their right for children to be raped [since she isn't old enough to consent in my book - if she did] and become child mothers. :(

Why is one of them men wearing an orange jump suit and a hard hat?

[Deleted03]

How awful. Glad to know the government protects their right for children to be raped [since she isn't old enough to consent in my book - if she did] and become child mothers. :(

Why is one of them men wearing an orange jump suit and a hard hat?

Indigenous rights is a very delicate issue, I don't think the government is necessarily bad in respecting their autonomy. Now the tribe should address those issues and get real about defending their members.

[NurseNell]

Indigenous rights is a very delicate issue, I don't think the government is necessarily bad in respecting their autonomy. Now the tribe should address those issues and get real about defending their members.

This.

I changed the spelling of Colombian in the subject line, hopefully it worked.

[Third]

Indigenous rights is a very delicate issue, I don't think the government is necessarily bad in respecting their autonomy. Now the tribe should address those issues and get real about defending their members.

I can see that but I wonder if to other people it makes their autonomy seem like a joke.

[valsa]

Indigenous rights is a very delicate issue, I don't think the government is necessarily bad in respecting their autonomy. Now the tribe should address those issues and get real about defending their members.

I don't disagree with the bolded. However, I've seen many instances where indigenous tribes choose to go about "defending their members" by protecting the perpetrators of crimes like this, instead of the victims (assuming that the perpetrators are also members of the tribe)

[Witsec5]

I don't disagree with the bolded. However, I've seen many instances where indigenous tribes choose to go about "defending their members" by protecting the perpetrators of crimes like this, instead of the victims (assuming that the perpetrators are also members of the tribe)

[Knight of Ni]

I wouldn't think a 10 year old is physically capable of carrying a baby to term. I would be very surprised if there wasn't long lasting damage. Whoever had sex with her definitely needs to be brought to justice because this experience may very likely affect her for life. It's disheartening that the tribe would allow this to happen with nobody being punished.

[Deleted03]

I don't disagree with the bolded. However, I've seen many instances where indigenous tribes choose to go about "defending their members" by protecting the perpetrators of crimes like this, instead of the victims (assuming that the perpetrators are also members of the tribe)

Yes I meant the victims (because it seems to have happened a lot recently). I think tribes should get to sign international declarations like CEDAW, and have to go through the review processes (I also wish those reviews were more open to respecting traditions while respecting the most marginalized rights, I don't think both are incompatible)

[Guest Anonymous]

How is it possible for a 5 or 6 year old to get pregnant? Do children menstruate that early? I'm having a hard time getting my mind around this one. It's beyond sad.

[Deleted03]

How is it possible for a 5 or 6 year old to get pregnant? Do children menstruate that early? I'm having a hard time getting my mind around this one. It's beyond sad.

yes these are cases of early puberty

[emmiedahl]

These things are also happening in the US. Indigenous rights are a delicate issue pretty much everywhere; sometimes by respecting their autonomy, we allow people to be victimized. I have a relative who is a teacher and an administrator of a public school that serves mainly children from a nearby reservation. When he reports child abuse, CPS hands it over to the tribal elders, who in this case are the abusers.

[CanadianHippie]

She's off by a few years. The youngest recorded mother was 6 years old. Awful.

Actually it's 5 years 7 months and 17 days. As for why, in some very extreme cases of precocious puberty, puberty can happen extremely early. The aforementioned girl, Lina Medina, started puberty around age 2 I believe. I don't think there was any way to actually treat early puberty at the time.

[tabitha2]

Here is a list.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youngest_Mothers

[Daenerys]

Yes I meant the victims (because it seems to have happened a lot recently). I think tribes should get to sign international declarations like CEDAW, and have to go through the review processes (I also wish those reviews were more open to respecting traditions while respecting the most marginalized rights, I don't think both are incompatible)

Their autonomy is secondary to the right of a child to be safe from harm.

[FireIsCatching89]

Their autonomy is secondary to the right of a child to be safe from harm.

Seconded. That poor girl. I hope she's getting the support she needs, and her body and spirit can recover.

[ilovetchotchkes]

Actually it's 5 years 7 months and 17 days. As for why, in some very extreme cases of precocious puberty, puberty can happen extremely early. The aforementioned girl, Lina Medina, started puberty around age 2 I believe. I don't think there was any way to actually treat early puberty at the time.

Wait wait wait, she was 5 years 7 months when the baby was conceived or 5 years 7 months when she delivered? not that it makes it ANY BETTER.

:angry-screaming: :angry-screaming:

[Maul the Koala]

Wait wait wait, she was 5 years 7 months when the baby was conceived or 5 years 7 months when she delivered? not that it makes it ANY BETTER.

:angry-screaming: :angry-screaming:

When she delivered.

[Koala]

Their autonomy is secondary to the right of a child to be safe from harm.

I agree 100%

[2xx1xy1JD]

As the mother of a girl with precocious puberty, these cases scare the living shit out of me. I can't imagine the physical or emotional effects that this causes.

[Deleted03]

I agree 100%

I don't agree because it's much more complicated than that. However, there should be a right to exit for the members, that should be pushed for the victims and at the very least there should be pressures from other indigenous groups to get this dealt with.

It's not because the Colombian government takes charge of this group's future that they would be safe, remember centuries of exactions, assimilation? Anyway, complicated matter, and very unhelpful article and news report.

[nolongerIFBx]

How is it possible for a 5 or 6 year old to get pregnant? Do children menstruate that early? I'm having a hard time getting my mind around this one. It's beyond sad.

A friend of a friend had a two year old that began menstruating. Other than prescibed drugs they also had to put her on an organic-only diet to avoid hormones added to food.

[Bookworm89]

When she delivered.

That just boggles my mind!!! The child was 4 when she was raped (No child that young can have the mental knowledge to consent to sex, so to me its rape period). How terrible for a child who may just be learning about her body, to then have to go through the changes pregnancy brings.

10 is the same way, I can't imagine why someone sane would want to have sex with a child to begin with. Having a child that young is crazy, the poor child can't take care of herself let alone another human being.