A 10 year old gives birth in southern Spain – quite shocking news, but according to the mother, it’s not uncommon in their home country of Romania. Officials are evaluating whether to let her and her family retain custody of the baby, an official said Tuesday. Officials also investigated the home of the Romanian girl who gave birth last week to ensure the baby is being cared for.
The father of the child is a 13-year-old boy who is still in Romania.
City officials said that they are investigating when the girl arrived in Spain, and why she did not see a doctor before going to the hospital to give birth.
The girl’s mother said that she doesn’t understand why so much attention is being paid to her daughter. According to her, they are Romanian Gypsies, or Roma, and that it was common for them to marry at very young ages. She is happy to have a granddaughter.
She said that amongst the Roma, girls have arranged marriages once they reach puberty, but that their marriages are not recognized by the state. Romania requires girls to be 16 and have parental consent before marrying.
Under Spanish law, having consensual sex with someone under age 13 is classified as child abuse, an official with the Spanish Justice Ministry in Madrid said. But this particular case is complicated by the fact that the father of the baby is also a minor and it is not clear if he could be charged, the official said.
Fact : The latest statistics show that 177 girls under the age of 15 gave birth in Spain in 2008.
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