Failed abortion kills 12-year-old girl at Ellembelle
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A 12-year-old girl has met her untimely death at Telekubukazo, a community in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region, after an attempted abortion failed.
The young girl – whose name has been given as Augustina Gabriel – is said to have been pronounced dead on arrival at the St. Martin de Porres Hospital in Eikwe.
Ellembelle Social Welfare Officer Jonas Kabutey, who confirmed the news to sit-in host on Connect FM’s Omanbapa Wofa Ato, indicated that they suspect the young girl died after a failed attempt to abort her five-month-old baby.
“We believe she took unprescribed medicine to get rid of the five-month-old pregnancy but she started having complications and was rushed to the Esiama Hospital where she was given First Aid. The Hospital even noticed that the placenta was already out before she was rushed there. Her situation was getting worse so they transferred her to the St. Martin de Porres Hospital at Eikwe where she was pronounced dead on arrival,” he indicated.
He adds that the late young girl entered into a relationship with a 21-year-old man in the area when she was 11years.
He adds that the parents of the young girl were aware of the relationship to the extent that their late daughter used to sleep over at the house of her boyfriend.
“She started having an affair with the boy at the age of eleven to the extent that the girl sometimes sleeps over at her boyfriend’s house. Her parents who are herbalists were even aware of the situation and they agreed to it since they were benefitting financially from the relationship,” he added.
Mr. Karbutey, who doubles as the paralegal of the Western Region, added that such cases are rampant in the district and called on organizations to assist through constant education.
“These issues are rampant in the Ellembelle District and when that happens, the parents refuse to report the case. They take money from the suspects and allow the case to slide. We need the intervention of NGOs and other organizations to help in curbing the situation. We need to have a lot of education for the people of Ellembelle on some of these things. We have Free Education so we don’t understand why parents allow their girl children in the Ellembelle District to follow men instead of being in school,” he indicated.
He adds that his office has invited the boy responsible for the pregnancy for questioning.