Experts call for compassionate policies as teen attempts to bury newborn

[webfact]

Experts call for compassionate policies as teen attempts to bury newborn

By The Nation

 

File photo

 

A 15-YEAR-OLD girl’s recent attempt to bury her newborn baby alive, apparently out of fear that others would find out about her pregnancy, underlines her desperation and the crying need for help, according to activists and social workers.

 

“I hope the relevant authorities will focus on remedial measures and rehabilitation, not punishments,” AIDS ACCESS Foundation director Nimit Thien-udom said.

 

His comments came after the girl was arrested in her hometown in the Chumpuang district of Nakhon Ratchasima province last Thursday. There is the possibility that she may be charged with abandoning her child and attempted murder. 

 

Police were able to trace to her, after receiving reports that she had bought unusually large quantities of sanitary napkins. Her baby boy was rescued in time from under the soil. 

 

A local man Usa Nisaikha, 41, heard a dog barking and a baby crying in a cassava plantation in Tambon Thalad and hence rushed to the spot. He saw a part of the baby and quickly pulled the child out of the soil.

 

The parents of the 15-year-old girl have now expressed their intention to take care of this baby. 

 

Somwong Uraiwattana, deputy director of the AIDS ACCESS Foundation and the head of Aids and Unwanted Pregnancy Hotline 1663 project, said the issue of women and girls who had unwanted pregnancy acting in desperation – as in the case of this teenager – stemmed from Thai authorities’ policy to deny them the right to abort. 

 

“Such cases of girls suffering life-threatening massive bleeding and injury from undergoing illegal abortion or disposing of foetuses at places would also persist if Thai society would not give enough options to those having unwanted pregnancy,” he warned. 

 

He pointed out that Thai society’s negative attitudes towards premature sex and unwanted pregnancies did not help establishing a good system to provide options to these affected women and girls – the later of whom also weren’t taught sex education in school in the way that was relevant to lifestyle. So, when they had a problem, they acted out of desperation.

 

Nimit said that when such cases happened, the media should not rush to label the girls or women involved as “horrible mum”, “cruel mum” and “loose woman”.

 

“Just report facts and try to offer solutions to such problems,” he said.

 

According to him, related state agencies must ensure the teens in need of safe and legal abortion would get it as per the Prevention and Solution of the Adolescent Pregnancy Problem Act 2016. Also, there should be easier process for women with unwanted pregnancy to hand over their babies to adoption or welfare homes

 

“I also hope that there will a welfare home for children in every province,” Nimit said.

 

In the past six months, the Aids and Unwanted Pregnancy Hotline 1663 has received 11,085 calls seeking advice on unwanted pregnancy – a 30 per cent increase from the same period in the previous year. About 29 per cent of those having unwanted pregnancy were girls under 20, he added.

 

Abortions are legally allowed in Thailand only when pregnancies result from sexual attacks, there are serious foetus development problems, or it could hurt the physical or mental health of the mothers-to-be. 

 

Trairat Witthayanumart, the chief of Chumpuang district, has promised to coordinate with the Social Development and Human Security Ministry on the rehabilitation of the traumatised teen.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30369657

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-05-20

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[fullcave]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Experts call for compassionate policies as teen attempts to bury newborn

By The Nation

 

File photo

 

A 15-YEAR-OLD girl’s recent attempt to bury her newborn baby alive, apparently out of fear that others would find out about her pregnancy, underlines her desperation and the crying need for help, according to activists and social workers.

 

“I hope the relevant authorities will focus on remedial measures and rehabilitation, not punishments,” AIDS ACCESS Foundation director Nimit Thien-udom said.

 

His comments came after the girl was arrested in her hometown in the Chumpuang district of Nakhon Ratchasima province last Thursday. There is the possibility that she may be charged with abandoning her child and attempted murder. 

 

Police were able to trace to her, after receiving reports that she had bought unusually large quantities of sanitary napkins. Her baby boy was rescued in time from under the soil. 

 

A local man Usa Nisaikha, 41, heard a dog barking and a baby crying in a cassava plantation in Tambon Thalad and hence rushed to the spot. He saw a part of the baby and quickly pulled the child out of the soil.

 

The parents of the 15-year-old girl have now expressed their intention to take care of this baby. 

 

Somwong Uraiwattana, deputy director of the AIDS ACCESS Foundation and the head of Aids and Unwanted Pregnancy Hotline 1663 project, said the issue of women and girls who had unwanted pregnancy acting in desperation – as in the case of this teenager – stemmed from Thai authorities’ policy to deny them the right to abort. 

 

“Such cases of girls suffering life-threatening massive bleeding and injury from undergoing illegal abortion or disposing of foetuses at places would also persist if Thai society would not give enough options to those having unwanted pregnancy,” he warned. 

 

He pointed out that Thai society’s negative attitudes towards premature sex and unwanted pregnancies did not help establishing a good system to provide options to these affected women and girls – the later of whom also weren’t taught sex education in school in the way that was relevant to lifestyle. So, when they had a problem, they acted out of desperation.

 

Nimit said that when such cases happened, the media should not rush to label the girls or women involved as “horrible mum”, “cruel mum” and “loose woman”.

 

“Just report facts and try to offer solutions to such problems,” he said.

 

According to him, related state agencies must ensure the teens in need of safe and legal abortion would get it as per the Prevention and Solution of the Adolescent Pregnancy Problem Act 2016. Also, there should be easier process for women with unwanted pregnancy to hand over their babies to adoption or welfare homes

 

Abortions are legally allowed in Thailand only when pregnancies result from sexual attacks, there are serious foetus development problems, or it could hurt the physical or mental health of the mothers-to-be. 

As it should be. 

[poyai111]

This young girl would have qualified for an early abortion on the grounds of her mental instability. Biologically 15 at the time of conception but, mentally about 10, given the social awareness of Thai children. Mute testament of pathetic lack of sex education and socialising skills between the sexes at an early stage of their development. 

[Happystance]

11 minutes ago, fullcave said:

As it should be. 

The first response, and you feel the need to copy the ENTIRE ARTICLE, just to submit a feeble one-liner?

You like digital pollution much?

[Number 6]

This is so tragic. How she came to be pregnant, by whom and under what circumstances. Upcountry thinking, parental issues, desperation. I can't get out of my mind what she was thinking as she buried the baby in after immediately giving birth and in a state of panic. My heart really goes out to her.

 

I'm sure the child will have a horrible life. Be told the story, shunned by the moo ban and treated as unwanted. Parents took the kid to save face. They were not there to support her in pregnancy.

 

[Cabradelmar]

My heart breaks for everyone in this story. The girl, the baby, the family... need love. No judgement. No fear. 

[mickey rat]

2 hours ago, fullcave said:

Abortions are legally allowed in Thailand only when pregnancies result from sexual attacks, there are serious foetus development problems, or it could hurt the physical or mental health of the mothers-to-be. 

This. 

[billd766]

4 hours ago, Number 6 said:

This is so tragic. How she came to be pregnant, by whom and under what circumstances. Upcountry thinking, parental issues, desperation. I can't get out of my mind what she was thinking as she buried the baby in after immediately giving birth and in a state of panic. My heart really goes out to her.

 

I'm sure the child will have a horrible life. Be told the story, shunned by the moo ban and treated as unwanted. Parents took the kid to save face. They were not there to support her in pregnancy.

 

Perhaps her parents didn't know that she was pregnant in the first place.

 

As an old man, I am unable to comprehend what went on in a 14/15 year old girl child's mind. She had to keep the pregnancy hidden from EVERYBODY including her parents, family, her school, the village, the father of the child, even the doctor.

 

I can't imagine the mental stress she must have gone through up until the baby was born and the stress she would have to go through afterwards.

 

 

[neeray]

2 hours ago, mickey rat said:

This. 

Why such a wordy answer ?

[metisdead]

An off topic post has been removed as well as the off topic replies. 

[Wilsonandson]

No sympathy from me. It is not okay to bury babies alive whatever the circumstances. She should get at least 2 years in prison to think about what a terrible thing she has done.

[new2here]

No sympathy from me. It is not okay to bury babies alive whatever the circumstances. She should get at least 2 years in prison to think about what a terrible thing she has done.

I agree that there must be some level of accountability for her actions... I don’t think that she should get a “free pass”... that said ... I also don’t think these kinds of issues can be ones that are “all heart or all head”... I just don’t think you can be so compassionate/emphatic that there is no meaningful punitive element .. nor do I think it only needs to be about being punitive as well.

I agree that there are some long-standing cultural and even systematic issues that were in play that perhaps helped to set up this event taking place... but in the end, she is the defendant here.. not the system or the like.

So... I agree that she owes the “state” as the representative of the people, accountability for her actions... but I also think at age 15, that this too must be a part of the larger decision making process in terms of what will be the punitive element and what will be the rehabilitative element.


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[Vacuum]

1 hour ago, billd766 said:

 

I can't imagine the mental stress she must have gone through up until the baby was born

Obviously no stress when she had unprotected sex at the age of 14.

[RJRS1301]

14 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

Obviously no stress when she had unprotected sex at the age of 14.

How empowered do think she was to demand a condom

It could have been sexual assault/incest/

How well educate would she have been on sexual health?

Obviously no medical support during her pregnancy

Complex situation for all concerned, we do not have  the facts so should not judge her

The child will need supervision and support as will the mother, I hope the services are there for her now

 

[Vacuum]

11 minutes ago, RJRS1301 said:

we do not have  the facts so should not judge her

Quote

A 15-YEAR-OLD girl’s recent attempt to bury her newborn baby alive, apparently out of fear that others would find out about her pregnancy

No facts! She tried to bury her newborn alive! Only to save face.

[RJRS1301]

4 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

No facts! She tried to bury her newborn alive! Only to save face.

We have the facts on her actions, not her life leading up to her actions

Even in a court of law extenuating circumstances are allowed in evidence, and we do not have any circumstances leading to her action 

[LongTang]

1 hour ago, Wilsonandson said:

No sympathy from me. It is not okay to bury babies alive whatever the circumstances. She should get at least 2 years in prison to think about what a terrible thing she has done.

 

If you can't even feel slight sympathy for her then you probably buried your soul at some point in your life as well..

 

This kind of attitude will simply lead to cases where young girls will find suicide as the only answer, and the end result will be much worse.

 

[Wake Up]

1 hour ago, Wilsonandson said:

No sympathy from me. It is not okay to bury babies alive whatever the circumstances. She should get at least 2 years in prison to think about what a terrible thing she has done.

This is a gut wrenching ordeal for the mom, the baby, her family, the neighbor finding the baby, and others we do not know are involved. But I would rather trade places with any of them than you based on your comments. If you have zero sympathy for this girl you are already dead even though you can still breathe. You have nothing left inside that is alive and human. I hope I am wrong about you and you were only reacting angrily to the events of this tragic story. ????

[Vacuum]

1 hour ago, RJRS1301 said:

It could have been sexual assault/incest/

If it was, why didn't she report it to the authorities?

[RJRS1301]

9 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

If it was, why didn't she report it to the authorities?

Perhaps too embarrassed. too frightened, I merely placed that as a possibility,  many sexual assaults go unreported and the fact that it APPEARS ( as the parents did not know and indicates she had no support system) there was no medical support during her pregnancy, indicates that her life leading up to this action was less than ideal.

 

[Wilsonandson]

This is a gut wrenching ordeal for the mom, the baby, her family, the neighbor finding the baby, and others we do not know are involved. But I would rather trade places with any of them than you based on your comments. If you have zero sympathy for this girl you are already dead even though you can still breathe. You have nothing left inside that is alive and human. I hope I am wrong about you and you were only reacting angrily to the events of this tragic story. [emoji31]

It's my opinion. Freedom of thought, freedom of speech. Who are you? My dad. It's a expat forum for christs sake. Not Oprah.

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[RJRS1301]

2 minutes ago, Wilsonandson said:

It's my opinion. Freedom of thought, freedom of speech. Who are you? My dad. It's a expat forum for christs sake. Not Oprah.

Sent from my SM-A700FD using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

So grant the person his "right" to express his opinions and thoughts

 

[Vacuum]

24 minutes ago, Wake Up said:

If you have zero sympathy for this girl you are already dead even though you can still breathe

Sympathy for someone who tried to bury a newborn child alive.  Give me a brake. Had it been the "father" of the child doing the crime, there would be an uproar on TVF.

[Wilsonandson]

So grant the person his "right" to express his opinions and thoughts
 

Okay, whatever, ha, ha, ha [emoji15]

Sent from my SM-A700FD using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[RJRS1301]

5 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

Sympathy for someone who tried to bury a newborn child alive.  Give me a brake. Had it been the "father" of the child doing the crime, there would be an uproar on TVF.

Perhaps he meant Empathy as opposed to sympathy, there is a nuanced difference

[Artisi]

1 hour ago, Vacuum said:

If it was, why didn't she report it to the authorities?

Do you actually live in Thailand, 

If so have you ever been outside of the bar or your gated community and looked at real life in Thailand. As for reporting it to authorities, even in 1st world countries many cases of rape and abuse go unreported for many reasons .. 

[Number 6]

2 hours ago, Vacuum said:

No facts! She tried to bury her newborn alive! Only to save face.

I'm no Psychologist but  you really don't understand people, especially children.

[billd766]

3 hours ago, Vacuum said:

Obviously no stress when she had unprotected sex at the age of 14.

What were your hormones like at that age?

 

3 hours ago, Vacuum said:

No facts! She tried to bury her newborn alive! Only to save face.

 

Just full of compassion and sympathy aren't you?

 

After carrying the child for 9 months and hiding the fact that she was pregnant I am sure that she had no idea what she was doing.

 

Do you think she would have gone home to her parents and say welcome to your new grandchild. What do you think they would have said and done.

[billd766]

2 hours ago, Vacuum said:

If it was, why didn't she report it to the authorities?

Do you really think that the authorities would believe her?

 

 

[Orton Rd]

So who is the father and why has he not been arrested for raping a child? She is a victim of sexual abuse. Of course likely a family member hence the shame and conduct of the girl