Girl ( 15) wants to give up unborn baby
MBABANE – A 15- year- old pregnant girl wants to give up her unborn baby for adoption.
The teenager, who is eight months pregnant, resides in Ezulwini, Gelekeceni and hopes to give up her baby for adoption so that she may proceed with school.
* Thobile currently lives with her aunt and is in Form I in one of the high schools in Ezulwini.
When the aunt was sought for comment she said they were not aware of Thobile’s pregnancy until the sixth month. Thobile had been able to hide her pregnancy from the whole family, according to her aunt.
She further disclosed that she already had a lot on her plate and would not be able to accommodate one more mouth in the family.
“This is my brother’s child and I live with her, together with two other children. Taking care of them has not been easy,” said the aunt.
She further shared that leading up to the discovery of the pregnancy, she ( Thobile) would skip school and spend time in isolation. It was said she used to be clothed in baggy clothing.
“I always accord every teenager in this house the privacy they need and that is why it took me time to see that she was pregnant,” said the aunt.
In addition, the aunt said abortion was the last thing she wanted her niece to do and they opted for other options.
“I told her not to even think about getting rid of the baby and that we will find a way to deal with this issue and we have,” said the aunt.
Discovery
The aunt said after the discovery of the baby bump, Thobile officially stopped going to school. Although the school was not informed of the reasons why she had stopped attending classes, the aunt said they were yet to do so when schools opened. It was established that, for a living, the aunt is currently employed at Ezulwini Gables in one of the popular retail supermarkets, as a cashier.
“I do not earn much and putting these three children through school has also been hard but I try. Disappointed was an understatement but she is my child, what can I do,” said the aunt.
The minor’s wish to give up her unborn baby for adoption comes at a time when the Deputy Prime Minister ’s ( DPM) Office officially launched a fostering care programme in the country.
Acting Director in the Social Welfare Department under the DPM’s Office, Sindi Dube, was once quoted having said if a family would like to foster a child, there was a vetting process they had to go through.
“Having debt or a bankruptcy on your credit file will not automatically exclude you, as long as you are able to demonstrate that becoming a foster parent is a financially viable option for you and your family,” said Dube.
She said the eligibility to become a foster parent required one to be a responsible individual. Single people can also foster a child, as long as they were assessed by a social worker and they were above the age of 25 years. Worth noting is that foster care in the country would be short- term ( one week to three months), medium- term ( three months to not more than six- months). It can also last up until the child turns 18 years, depending on the different type of cases. Meanwhile, Psychologist Emmanuel Moyo said the child was now classically conditioned to sex and needed psychological assessment so that she could be rehabilitated.
Premature
“She needs counselling sessions to make her aware of the dangers of sexual relations at a premature age,” Moyo said.
He further stressed that it could be lack of resources that had forced the child to engage in a sexual relationship and for this reason, she needed financial, medical, as well as emotional and physiological support to deal with her issue.
The psychologist stated that there were serious consequences that the minor may suffer from engaging in sex at her age.
Going forward, Moyo mentioned that her sexual organs may be affected as she would contract illnesses such as cancer in the long- run. He added that the minor might also find herself having difficulty in maintaining a normal relationship.