The teachers didn’t conceal the pregnancy of the 11-year-old girl, who gave birth in January this year. As soon as they found out, the teachers informed the police and the Family Doctors’ Center so that the pregnancy could be monitored. Also, the psycho-emotional state of the child is satisfactory, Minister of Education and Research Dan Perciun stated following an internal investigation initiated on the case, IPN reports.
“According to the information we possess, from the moment the teachers found out about the existing situation, they informed both the police and the Family Doctors’ Center so that the pregnancy could be supervised. In the report presented by our colleagues, we didn’t see elements of concealment. Everyone acted appropriately,” said Dan Perciun.
Representatives of the Republican Center for Psycho-Pedagogical Assistance went to the locality and discussed with the mother, the girl, other people involved. In parallel, psychological counseling is being offered to the girl. “In general, according to the report we received, her psycho-emotional state is somehow satisfactory,” noted the minister.
According to Dan Perciun, the Ministry is considering the possibility of extending the optional course “Education for Health” all over the education system. “It’s a decision we continue to consider. At this stage, it is available as an optional subject,” said the official. He urged all the educational institutions to propose this course to students so that such situations are prevented. He added that the Ministry is not ready to make a decision as regards the introduction of the course as a compulsory subject and a broader discussion with the whole society is needed for the propose. They also need to see whether certain elements of this course should be incorporated into other basic subjects, such as biology.
Dan Perciun noted that Parliament was also notified of the case. There will be a discussion with the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection on the organization and functioning of multidisciplinary commissions, which should be more active, and on the prevention of gender-based violence and also abuse in such cases.
The police were notified of the case by representatives of a health center on December 13. On January 13, the minor gave birth. The press reported that the 11-year-old girl is not from a socially deprived family. But her mother was abroad and she, together with her siblings, remained in the care of her mother’s concubine. The minor reportedly said she got pregnant from a boy who is from another locality. A criminal case was initiated for rape of a person under the age of 14. Subsequently, the stepfather of the girl was detained and remanded in custody, being accused of rape.
