A Tobago man, who was in the company of a teen girl and an infant, has been charged with sexual penetration of a minor.
Yesterday, a senior police official revealed that the 31-year-old labourer, from Darryl Spring Road, Scarborough, appeared in court after being charged with sexual penetration of a minor on Wednesday.
Relatives of the teenage mother reported her missing on September 9. Acting on information, officers from the Child Protection Unit and the Tobago Division went to a Scarborough house last Saturday, where they found the 14-year-old and her one-year-old son. The man was detained.
Data obtained from the T&T Police Service earlier this week pointed to an increase in reported pregnancies among minors over the last ten years, with the figures rising from 46 in 2015 to 176 last year. Law enforcement has been looking into 94 cases of girls becoming impregnated so far this year, adding to a total of 1,660 cases in less than a decade.
During an interview with Guardian Media, TTPS’ Special Victims Department head, acting superintendent Michelle Rowley-Powder, explained that there were challenges in prosecuting perpetrators.
“The reports are not always made. As for the ones that are made, the challenge that we are having is the pregnant persons, who is the child, would generally refuse to give information regarding the other party in the matter. They have this method of protecting their partner, especially when they think that person may be arrested and charged,” she said.
Rowley-Powder added that the ages of those involved may also contribute to the low conviction rate.
But aside from the legal ramifications of teen pregnancy, obstetrician/gynaecologist Dr Samantha Bhagan warned that girls from as young as 12 were exposed to an increased amount of health risks if they are impregnated.
“With teenage pregnancy, there is a higher risk of developing high blood pressure and a medical condition called pre-eclampsia which can be both fatal to baby and mother. They are also at risk of developing premature birth and the earlier the babies are born the higher risk of developing respiratory, digestive and cognitive problems,” she said.
Bhagan added that due to their immature bodies, adolescents experience high-risk pregnancies.