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10-year-old gives birth in southern Spain

2010-11-03 07:03:53

Tue Nov 2, 6:04 pm ET

MADRID A 10-year-old girl has given birth in southern Spain and authorities

are evaluating whether to let her and her family retain custody of the baby, an

official said Tuesday. The baby was born last week in the city of Jerez de la

Frontera, said Micaela Navarro, the Andalusia region's social affairs minister.

Navarro told reporters the father of the baby is also a minor, and both the

mother and the baby were in good health. Her department declined to give

details, including the sex of the baby, but said authorities do not consider

this a case of rape and that no criminal investigation is under way.

Under Spanish law, having consensual sex with someone under age 13 is

classified as child abuse, an official with the Spanish Justice Ministry in

Madrid said. But this particular case is complicated by the fact that the

father of the baby is also a minor and it is not clear if he could be charged,

the official said.

Spanish newspapers said the mother is of Romanian origin.

The daily Diario de Jerez reported the girl was already pregnant when she

arrived in Spain, but did not say when she came to this country. It is not

clear if the father is in Spain.

Medical experts warn that because young girls are still growing, they are at

higher risk during pregnancy. Studies have shown that teenage girls are more

likely to give birth to premature babies and their infants have a higher chance

of dying by age one.