A 12-year-old has reportedly died after a failed abortion at Telekubukazo in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region.
The Ellembelle Social Welfare Officer, Jonas Kabutey, who spoke to the media about the news said the girl was five months pregnant.
“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,” he said.
She was pronounced dead on arrival at the St. Martin de Porres Hospital.
Mr Kabutey added that the man responsible for the pregnancy is a 21-year-old who started an affair with the deceased when she was 11 years old.
He continued that the parents of the young girl, who are herbalists, were aware of the relationship to the extent that their daughter regularly slept over at the young man’s house.
The Social Welfare Officer, who also doubles as a paralegal of the Western Region, bemoaned the increase in such cases in the district.
“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,” he said.
Meanwhile, he said his office has invited the man responsible for the pregnancy for questioning.