Panaji: A 15-year-old girl recently delivered a healthy baby at a govt hospital after doctors conducted a normal delivery, while her parents remained unaware of the pregnancy until the delivery.The minor had concealed information from her parents about the accused in the rape case until she delivered the baby. A subsequent investigation revealed that the accused was her neighbour.Most such incidents come to light when the minor is about to deliver the baby.Over the past eight years, around 12% of minor survivors of sexual assault were found to be pregnant, according to data from tstate govt’s victim assistant unit (VAU). In that period, over 100 cases of child pregnancy have been reported in Goa.In June, three cases of teenage pregnancy involving girls aged 14 and 15 year have come to light. Alarmingly, two of these girls carried their pregnancies to full-term and delivered healthy babies.In both instances, the girls’ parents and schools claimed they were unaware that the girls were pregnant, raising serious concerns about the level of supervision, communication, and awareness within families and educational institutions.“Equally disturbing is the case of a 10-year-old child who became pregnant after being sexually abused by her neighbour. Such incidents underscore the urgent need to strengthen child protection mechanisms and ensure early detection and timely intervention,” said VAU coordinator Emidio Pinho.Pinho said that parents must reconnect with their children. Open communication, trust, emotional support, and a nurturing environment enable children to speak up about abuse, bodily changes, relationships, or situations that make them uncomfortable. Parents should remain actively involved in their children’s lives rather than assuming everything is well.“Comprehensive and standardised age-appropriate awareness programmes must be implemented in all schools. Every child should receive scientifically accurate information on personal safety, body autonomy, consent, healthy relationships, online safety, puberty, and reporting mechanisms. Such programmes should be uniform across schools and delivered by trained professionals,” said Pinho.Pinho said silence does not protect children; education does. Child protection cannot be the responsibility of parents or schools alone. It requires the collective participation of families, educators, healthcare professionals, law enforcement agencies, child protection authorities, community leaders, and civil society organisations.“The rise in teenage pregnancies should be treated as public health, child protection, and social concern. Every case represents a child whose rights, safety, and future are at risk. It is time for society to move beyond denial and discomfort and take decisive steps to safeguard our children through awareness, vigilance, timely intervention, and coordinated action.”Info BoxYear percentage2019 11.9%2020 9.2%2021 11.0%2022 10.1%2023 14.7%2024 15.6%2025 15.6%2026 11.9%AGE GROUP AGE GROUP0 to 10 0.9%11 to 15 39.4%16 to 18 59.6%
