Child pregnancies Nicaragua

[Steven T Cass]

We have already found 3 girls under 13 and pregnant 1 of which was only 10 years old Vanessa...please pray that we will find those who are in this situation and be able to bring them to Christ..also pray for the Nica govt. that they would be happy that there are people out there who want to help and who are willing to provide holistic solutions for the Nica children at 0 cost to the government of Nicaragua!!!

The Sandinista government’s treatment of childhood pregnancies as a “miracle” from God rather than a mortal issue related to public health, sexual violence and reproductive rights has contributed to a dramatic increase in kids giving birth to more kids, according to human-rights activists.

Official statistics released yesterday by the Ministry of Heath’s Dr. Wilmer Beteta reveals a 48% increase in the birth rate of minors ages 10-14 since the year 2000. One in four childbirths in Nicaragua is by a teenage mom age 15-19, according to government numbers.

A decade ago, Nicaragua registered 1,066 births by girls under 15. In 2009, the last year official data was released, the number had jumped to 1,577. Rights workers suspect the number of young teenage pregnancies is now even higher, although the government has not made any more recent data available.

Oscar Viscarra, resident representative of the UN Population and Development Fund, told El Nuevo Diario that the numbers that do exist are worrisome enough. Rights activists stress that every pregnant minor is a rape victim, so an increase in childhood pregnancies indicates an increase in sexual violence towards children.

But in Nicaragua, where therapeutic abortion has been outlawed since 2006, even the most extreme cases of 10-year-old girls who become impregnated after being raped by a family member are denied the possibility of terminating their unwanted or life-threatening pregnancy.

In one particularly disturbing case, the Sandinista media last year celebrated the “miracle” of childbirth after a 12-year-old indigenous girl survived a risky pregnancy and delivered a small baby boy one week before the presidential election. The jubilant Sandinista media failed to mention that the girl had been raped by her stepfather and would now be forced to surrender her own childhood to raise another kid slightly younger than herself in the same impoverished household as her lecherous abuser.

In general, very few cases of sexual violence are prosecuted in Nicaragua. An Amnesty International report released last May says rape and sexual abuse in Nicaragua are “widespread.” The organization criticized the Nicaraguan government for failing to bring many abusers to justice and further entrenching impunity for gender-based violence.

In addition to impunity, the government’s health providers are not generally treating rape victims with the care they need and deserve, says Martha Maria Blandon, director of Ipas Central America, an international public-health advocacy group that works on issues of sexual and reproductive rights.

Blandon laments that Nicaraguan health providers have no appropriate protocol for treating pregnant girls, who are dealt with like any other pregnant mother rather than as a minor who has been raped. Blandon says it’s inappropriate to talk to a 12-year-old pregnant girl about prenatal care as if her pregnancy were a normal occurrence.

Still, Blandon says, the fact that a Nicaraguan official has publically acknowledged the rising number pregnant minors represents a step forward for a government that likes to cloak itself in cheerful propaganda.

“We hope this means authorities are also accepting the reality that we have been pointing out for a long time—that this is a growing problem and the government has not given it the seriousness it deserves,” Blandon told The Nicaragua Dispatch. “Accepting the statistics is a starting point, but what is the government going to do to diminish the problem? There needs to be an integral response that deals with the issues of sexual violence, sexual education, emergency contraception and access to public health services.”

Dr. Beteta says the government is in the process of developing an Integral National Plan for Sexual and Reproductive Health. Non-governmental organizations such as Ipas say they hope the government will consult with them and other community organizations that have been working on these issues for years and have the experience to help the state improve the situation here.

[DeaknLissa]

Thank you for the updates.  You all are doing amazing work for the Kingdom.

 

I do have a question.  I am unfamiliar with your stance on many issues and the concern of abortion is something I absolutely don't take lightly.  I am under the impression from the words and tone of this update that you are in favor and even encourage and desire that a person obtain an abortion for "health reasons" or because the person is too young (10 years old is certainly horrifically young to be with child), is that correct?  I'm not arguing, if I simply disagree with something that's between God and me and I am disconnected enough from your ministry that I do not believe it would even be appropriate for me to push a concern on you for the sake of "accountability".  But it is important that I understand where you are at on this issue as I continue to pray for your ministry.  The core problem is not the pregnancy, it is the sexual abuse that happened in the first place, and I want you to know that I realize that and am praying for the obliteration of sexual sin in Nicaragua! 

 

Thank you.

God bless you all.

In love.

[Steven T Cass]

Lisa,

I am very much a pro lifer in all cases...there is not talk of abortion in the Bible not because God has no issue with it but because in those times they understood clearly that to conceive was a blessing of God. I thought I copied the tag on this article which apparently I did not but it comes from an article from a local Nicaragua newspaper. Yes the issue for us is the sexual abuse which when you are talking about 10-13 year olds being pregnant the % of those who got there through willing sexual relations is less than 10% and I have never found a 10 year old who was having sex because they wanted to..the closest was 1 case in TJ where she was 10 and was "willingly" prostituting but because the mother had initially forced her too...later she liked having money to buy chips and sodas so much that she kept on not wanting help.

Hope that clears up the question..if not then by all means email me on my personal email which is [e-mail]

[DeaknLissa]

Thank you for taking the time Mr. Cass.  I didn't even think about that piece being a newspaper article.   I appreciate you taking the time to clear it up!

 

God bless.

[Claudia Cerino]

Thank you for the updates. I love your ministries and am sure God is using your life to make a big difference in this world. 

Blessings to you and all staff who works with you!

Claudia

[Steven T Cass]

Thank you Claudia...one of these days you guys need to come..we were hopeful to make Ingrid's wedding but won't be able...God bless you and your works as well!

Claudia Cerino said:

Thank you for the updates. I love your ministries and am sure God is using your life to make a big difference in this world. 

Blessings to you and all staff who works with you!

Claudia