Every day in Peru, four girls under the age of 14 are forced to become mothers after being victims of sexual abuse

Camila is a 13-year-old girl who lives in a rural area with her severely disabled mother and her father, who has been raping her for several years, causing the minor to become pregnant. her, like more than a thousand girls between the ages of 10 and 14 who become mothers per year by force in Peru were denied access to therapeutic abortionbecause voluntary termination of pregnancy due to rape is not yet regulated in our country.

His case went beyond the limits and reached United Nations Commission on the Rights of the Child (UN) for the state to respond because the minor had a miscarriage and was convicted of the “crime” of self-abortion.

Well, according to information published by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), every 24 hours in Peru at least four girls between the ages of 10 and 14 are forced to become mothers after being victims of rape. That is, approximately 1,300 girls every year, at least since 2017. Furthermore, after systematizing information from the Ministry of Health’s Certificate of Live Birth (Minsa), the institution warns that between 2020 and 2021, the rate increased by 24%.

“Motherhood as a result of sexual violence is forced motherhood and as such there must be an understanding in the legal norm that there are obstetric implications as the girl’s body has not developed and maternal death may occur from a complication and that there are also damage to your mental health from the circumstances under which the conception took place. Therefore, it should be part of the therapeutic abortion protocol,” he explains. Hugo GonzalezUNFPA representative in Peru.

The expert also indicated that Peru had received the recommendation of the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (Cedaw) that Peru include rape pregnancies in the therapeutic regulatory framework.

“Forced motherhood of a girl, adolescent or woman as a result of sexual violence can constitute cruel, degrading and inhumane treatment,” he added.

Although in Peru legislation establishes the possibility for women (or girls) to have access to therapeutic abortion when their lives are in danger; finally, the medical decision depends on the interpretation of the board of health professionals who evaluate these cases, so not everyone succeeds in terminating their pregnancy before the 12 weeks established by law.

According to the recently published study “Born with a womb: Effects of the criminalization of abortion in Peru”, 55 women were reported to the National Police between 2016 and 2021, despite the fact that it was an abortion that was not legally punishable point , according to the Peruvian Penal Code itself. For all types of abortion, 1,517 complaints were registered throughout the country.

Every two hours, at least one minor is raped in Peru. That is, 16 children and adolescents per day, according to the official data of the National Police. From this group, 94% are female victims. This data is important because at least one in 10 cases ends in pregnancy, according to Susana Chavez, executive director of the Center for the Promotion and Protection of Sexual and Reproductive Rights (Promsex).

“Unwanted pregnancy in the case of girls and adolescents who have been victims of violence is a form of torture, behind the act of forcing a girl to be a mother is torture. “Unfortunately, in health centers, these girls under the age of 15 are forced to continue their pregnancy, even though they are considered high-risk, where one of the options these girls should have is precisely therapeutic abortion,” says Chavez.

The specialist also warned that in most cases of pregnant children under 15 years of age, health professionals refer them to highly specialized hospitals when the procedure can be done in first class health centers as long as they are treated early. Due to delays, however, the term of the law is often exceeded, thus girls’ rights are violated.

For his part, the obstetrician-gynecologist and vice dean of the Medical College of Peru, Alfredo Celiswarns that in addition to the physical harm that puts the health and lives of girls forced into motherhood at risk, the risks of minors developing anxiety and depression should be considered which can lead them to attempt suicide due to the double trauma of rape and forced motherhood.

Precisely within the 11 conditions for access to therapeutic abortionaccording to the official protocol, it includes “any other pathology of the mother that puts the life of the pregnant woman at risk or generates a serious and permanent illness in her health”, in which the mental health impact that leads to girls can be forced into the mother.

“Looking at this area (mental health) which is a bit open to interpretation because many say ‘not all victims who are raped and get pregnant kill themselves’ there is a loophole there so that therapeutic abortion can be applied , as it does not include in its requirements abortion for rape”, Celis elaborates on the obstacles faced by girls and adolescents.

However despite the evidence of physical and emotional damage to the victimsthe treaties on the rights of children and women to which Peru has acceded, the Congress of the Republic is currently promoting three legislative initiatives that put at risk access to therapeutic abortion, a right won in the country since 1924 and which would put girls in more danger , than they already live.

Legislative initiatives Rosangela Barbaran, Alejandro Muniente and Milagros Aguayo They seek to terminate all pregnancies and choose to protect the conceived or “unborn child” as they conveniently call the zygote. They forget about the needs and rights of women and girls.

“It is very unfortunate because they not only express great ignorance, indifference, lack of empathy for the victims of violence, but they also express what is in the background, which is a political agenda. These are not evidence-based decisions, but rather the politics of groups affiliated with religious groups, far removed from public health needs,” says Susana Chavez.

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