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A 10-year-old girl’s severe stomach pain has led to a disturbing revelation after doctors discovered the child was six months pregnant.
The girl’s mum, 25, took her to a hospital in the small town of Colonia Dora, Argentina, last week after she began complaining of a stomach ache, according to local publication Infobae.
While there, the parent told the on-call obstetrician that her daughter had not had her period.
An examination then revealed the child was in an advanced stage of pregnancy.
During a subsequent investigation, the girl told authorities she had been sexually abused by her stepdad, Julio Vivas.
The 33-year-old man was arrested at the home he shared with his partner and her daughter. Officers also seized his mobile phone.
Vivas will remain in custody as police investigate the circumstances surrounding the alleged abuse.
No official statement has been issued regarding final charges, according to El Doce.
Following Vivas’ arrest, the 10-year-old’s grandmother, Norma, told Noticiero 7 she had warned her daughter not to trust her partner, whom she met online, or leave him alone with the young girl.
“She met him through the phone, but I always told her not to trust him too much,” Norma Gomez said.
“I went through the same thing the little girl went through when I was eight years old. I know what it’s like to suffer. I always told my husband: if they touch one of my children, I’m capable of killing them with my own hands.”
The girl’s teacher said she was also stunned by the allegation, noting the student hadn’t shown signs of distress.
“She’s a quiet girl, she does her homework… I’ve never noticed any strange behaviour from her, nor has she ever been upset,” she said.
Girl, 10, gives birth to stepdad’s child
The shocking case comes just months after a traumatised 10-year-old girl from Brazil gave birth to her stepdad’s child.
Hospital staff alerted police due to her young age.
The 23-year-old man was arrested in April amid accusations that he repeatedly raped his stepdaughters, aged eight and 10. The girls’ mum was also arrested for allegedly trying to protect her partner.
Sexual violence a major problem in Latin America
Sexual violence against minors is a major problem in Latin America, according to a report requested by the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights.
Children are most at risk in their homes, while teens are at risk at home and in the wider community.
According to UNICEF, two in every three children aged one to 14 in Latin America and the Caribbean experience violent discipline at home.
However, comparable data on sexual violence in childhood is very limited, largely due to differences in the definitions used to classify acts of sexual violence.
In Argentina, more than 40 per cent of victims of sexual violence are either children or adolescents, according to a government report released in 2023.
Data shows that the number of cases of sexual violence increased nationwide from 2016 to 2021, skyrocketing from 13,003 to 41,697.