Lakes: Teenage girl arrested after throwing baby into latrine
May 18, 2013 (JUBA) – Authorities in the Lakes state capital, Rumbek, have arrested an underage girl who threw her newborn baby into a latrine after falling pregnant outside of wedlock.
The girl, who managed to hide her pregnancy from her parents for nine months, gave birth to a baby boy on Saturday night.
It is alleged she then threw the baby into her family’s latrine in the Makuriric residential area, before going into hiding.
Lakes state’s department for criminal investigation (CID) launched a search for the girl after family members found the baby alive and alerted authorities.
A senior CID security officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that police had collaborated with the local community to capture the girl.
He said an elderly woman in the area had reportedly suspected the girl’s pregnancy, but that her parents were unaware.
The official said police were called to investigate after the baby’s cries were heard inside the latrine.
He confirmed that a 17-year-old Dinka Agaar girl had been arrested on Saturday in connection to the case and was being held in CID prison in Rumbek Central county. Investigations remain ongoing.
Pre-marital sex is still frowned upon in Rumbek, where wealth is tied to the number of cattle paid to a girl as dowry. The amount is negotiated between families and can be as high as 200-300 head of cattle.
Pregnancies that occur outside of marriage often inflame community tensions, with conflicts between the families involved sometimes escalating to murder.
Several young men have been arrested in Rumbek on murder charges related pregnancies that occurred outside of wedlock.
Some are also charged with cattle raiding and revenge killings linked to inter-communal violence.
According to police, there has been a recent spate of cases of girls falling pregnant outside of wedlock in Rumbek.
(ST)