PPA to conduct forensic interview with underage mother
Kaieteur News – The Child Care and Protection Agency (CPA) will be conducting a forensic interview with the 14-year-old girl who left her baby after giving birth on New Year’s Day.
The abandoned baby was found about an hour later lying in a patch of grass near a sawmill in Kwebana Village, Moruca, Region One. A group of visitors made the discovery. Shortly after, villagers were able to find the child’s mother at her parents’ home. She was also in poor condition and was found bleeding.
The underage mother received the necessary treatment from medical professionals and was transferred with her newborn to Kumaka District Hospital.
Kaieteur News reported Monday that police have since launched an investigation into the matter.
Speaking to this newspaper yesterday, CPA Director Ann Greene said her agency is also investigating the case.
Greene revealed that the mother was underage and could be a statutory rape case.
Sources had told this media house that the girl’s parents were unaware that she was pregnant. She was afraid to trust them and keep it a secret. When she started having pains, she suspected it was probably time to give birth. The teenage girl reportedly crawled out of the house unknown to her parents and went down to the sawmill. After giving birth she became even more scared about how her parents would react and decided to abandon the baby. However, the young man has not yet revealed the identity of the child’s father.
Greene said a forensic interview will be held with her soon. The CPA director explained that the interview is to get her to talk and, if possible, reveal the identity of the baby’s father.
Greene noted that forensic interviews are conducted carefully to build confidence especially with such cases. “We have to take our time with her, it’s a fragile situation and it has to be treated very carefully,” said Greene.
He also highlighted the need to check the teen’s state of mind and condition as well.
Villagers had described the teenager as someone who may have been suffering from depression because she had hardly spoken to anyone and always kept to herself.