An incredible story is coming to light in Peru. An 11-year-old girl, who was raped for years by her stepfather, became pregnant and the authorities, instead of standing by and helping the girl, refused to terminate the pregnancy.

The case prompted a global outcry and UN intervention until Peruvian authorities finally allowed the girl to undergo an abortion over the weekend in Lima.

This is a case that non-governmental human rights organizations describe as emblematic of the lack of support for minors who are victims of sexual abuse.

The History

The girl, who has been publicly identified simply as “Mila,” was molested by her stepfather for years, according to a police report.

Earlier this month Mila, now almost 18 months pregnant, was kicked out of a hospital in the Amazon region of Loreto. The staff refused to perform the operation to terminate the pregnancy.

The case caused an uproar and, after the UN urged the Peruvian state to intervene, Mila was taken to a public hospital in the capital Lima and doctors authorized the abortion.

Her recovery is going well, according to Susana Chavez, director of the feminist NGO PROMSEX. He will remain in the hands of the social welfare service after he is discharged.

Authorities are looking for the girl’s stepfather, who was arrested in July but later released on the grounds that there was insufficient evidence.

The judge’s decision to release him was widely criticized.

President Dina Boluarte demanded his “immediate arrest”.

His whereabouts are unknown.

The number of underage mothers – rape victims – has increased in Peru

However, Mila’s experience underscores the fact that the state does not protect young victims of sexual abuse, Ms. Chavez told Reuters news agency.

He added that many more child rapes go unreported.

“We estimate that for every interested girl who goes to a hospital, there are at least 10 more (…) victims of sexual abuse,” Susana Chavez explained.

According to official data, births to girls between the ages of 10 and 14 in Peru will increase by 14% in 2022, reaching 1,625.

In the first half of this year, 14,500 sexual assaults were committed, 70% of which involved children under 17.

In Peru, abortion is legal only in cases where the life of the expectant mother is in danger.

Even in these cases, however, Mrs. Chávez emphasizes that access to abortion is hindered by the reaction of “ultraconservatives”.