As absurd and scary as this sounds, this incident actually happened. A 17-year-old minor girl, from the Malappuram district in Kerala, delivered a baby in her room with the help of YouTube videos. Her parents had no clue about her pregnancy until they heard the baby’s cries. On the third day after the delivery, she suffered infections. Her parents immediately took her to the nearest hospital, where she is currently undergoing treatment.
Also Read: 20995 Mothers Aged 15-19 Years Gave Birth In Kerala In 2019
Her mother is visually impaired and her father works as a security guard in the night. While it is shocking that her parents had no clue that she was pregnant, the minor girl was able to keep it a secret, well-aware of the consequence.
Advocate Shajesh Basker, the Malappuram district child welfare committee (CWC) chairman, shared that her parents didn’t bother her while she was in her room because they knew she had to focus on online classes. As such, the parents did not necessarily think to check up on her now and then.
According to the police officials, the 21-year-old man who impregnated the minor girl in Kerala is in custody. He has been arrested under the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and IPC Section 376, which is rape. He is the one who suggested that she look up ‘How to deliver a baby and cut the umbilical cord’ on YouTube. The minor girl did not receive any form of help before and after the delivery and she cut the umbilical cord herself.
The couple apparently wanted to cover up the entire situation by handling it themselves. They even went to a private hospital during her third month of pregnancy owing to a bad stomach ache. She underwent treatment for gastritis. It is surprising that the hospital authorities didn’t realize that she was a pregnant minor.
What’s more, is that the families of the arrested man and the minor girl knew each other. They were planning to get them married once the girl attained the legal marriage age. At the moment, the police are conducting a DNA test to determine the biological father of the child.
