A 13-year-old girl in the Baghramyan village of Armavir gave birth. Her relatives temporarily sent her child to an orphanage.
“They are still thinking. They wanted to keep the child- this isn’t a family that wanted to get rid of the baby- but they also understand that they will keep the baby when they have guarantees that they will be able to keep it. They are still waiting because they are being evicted from their rented apartment and are unable to find another one. They gave the newborn to an orphanage temporarily so that they can understand what they need. Then, they will work on becoming financially stable so that they can bring the child home. The girl who gave birth is also a child, but she’s also not when looking at what she went through. But she remains helpless in this situation; everyone is so concerned with the newborn and whether or not the family will take it home that no one is considering how the 13-year-old girl is going to continue on with her life. Did someone from the governor’s building go to the village and explain that the girl is not to blame for what happened to her? There are no state policies to help make the lives of children in similar situations better,” Program Director of the Sexual Assault Crisis Center Tatevik Aghabekyan told Aravot Daily.
The 13-year-old girl has a mental disorder. Her mother found out about the pregnancy coincidentally when she was already five months pregnant. The child told her mother that she had been sexually assaulted by two boys in her class. It is also believed that her brother, who has a mental illness, also raped her. Investigations are underway, but the results have not been confirmed yet.
According to Tatevik Aghabekyan, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs is considering suggestions on how to make the life of this 13-year-old girl easier if she chooses to keep the baby. There are also individuals who have expressed willingness to help, but, according to Aghabekyan, no one has actually done anything to support the family. “Many people told the family not to give the child to an orphanage because they will help by buying diapers. The fact that this family can’t take care of its own child won’t be resolved with diapers.”
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