Pregnant girl, 10, raped in India 'has no idea what has happened to her'

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A Indian schoolgirl who is heavily pregnant after allegedly being raped by her uncle still does not know she is carrying an unborn child.

The 10-year-old, who is said to have “no idea” what is happening to her, is eight months pregnant and has been denied a termination by the country’s Supreme Court.

Abortions are not allowed after 20 weeks unless a mother’s life is in danger, and doctors have claimed a termination now would be too much of a risk for the girl.

The case was taken before the court after lawyer Alakh Alok Srivastave filed a public interest petition stating: “Medical experts have categorically opined that if the 10-year-old is forced to give birth, either through normal delivery or even through caesarean-section, it may be fatal to the life of the rape survivor as well as to her child.”

Her distraught family have accepted the decision – but are angry at the media attention surrounding the case. The girl’s father told the BBC: “I want [the alleged rapist] to be severely punished. He should get the death penalty or be locked away for the rest of his life in prison.”

But he also asked: “Why are you advertising my daughter’s case? The press have turned this into a business enterprise.”

The girl’s pregnancy was only recently discovered after she complained of pain in her abdomen.

She has still not been told about the pregnancy and believes her bulging stomach is because of a big stone, the BBC reported.

Someone who knows her told the corporation: “She’s very innocent and has no idea what’s happened to her.”

The case has highlighted the scale of sexual abuse in India, where a child under 16 is raped every 155 minutes.

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