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| Gladys Chelagat in a file picture - courtesy photo |
Ten years old Gladys Chelagat holds her baby weighing 2.8kg at Kericho
District Hospital in Kenya. The former pupil of Chemamul Primary School
gave birth through caeserian section.
Predictably, most of the first gut reactions have been driven by a red hot rage as Kenyan netters around the world ask for more details about the person who impregnated that ten year old child. Just as predictably, many of the people looking for this person want to imprison, castrate or otherwise punish this individual.
This seething sea of livid collective anger is largely justified.
However, we all need to place an ice pack or two on our individual foreheads because we definitely need to COOL DOWN CONSIDERABLY.
Fulminating against the person who impregnated young Gladys is NOT GOING to help this little child deal with the traumatic experience she is undergoing at this very moment.
In my humble opinion, our IMMEDIATE focus perhaps should be identifying concrete ways of supporting Gladys Chelagat and her family, including her brand new infant.
How can we do that?
First and foremost by making sure that Gladys and her child have enough to eat and that they remain healthy.
Secondly, by counselling this child to overcome her trauma- because that is exactly what her pregnancy and child birth has been. At this point, I do not think that Gladys NEEDS any stern lectures from anyone on pre-marital sex- she is already a mother and preaching to her of the many sins she has has committed will be kinda STUPID, if you ask me.
Thirdly, I do not think this child was prepared to have a child at this tender age in her life. So she needs ADULTS who can assist her in embracing positive parenting skills- which DO NOT come naturally, by the way.
Fourthly, Gladys is still a primary school girl who must stay in school. That means that she will be a better mother for her young infant if Gladys herself is allowed to GROW UP FIRST to be a WOMAN who has an education that can enable her to live an independent and dignified life.
Predictably, most of the first gut reactions have been driven by a red hot rage as Kenyan netters around the world ask for more details about the person who impregnated that ten year old child. Just as predictably, many of the people looking for this person want to imprison, castrate or otherwise punish this individual.
This seething sea of livid collective anger is largely justified.
However, we all need to place an ice pack or two on our individual foreheads because we definitely need to COOL DOWN CONSIDERABLY.
Fulminating against the person who impregnated young Gladys is NOT GOING to help this little child deal with the traumatic experience she is undergoing at this very moment.
In my humble opinion, our IMMEDIATE focus perhaps should be identifying concrete ways of supporting Gladys Chelagat and her family, including her brand new infant.
How can we do that?
First and foremost by making sure that Gladys and her child have enough to eat and that they remain healthy.
Secondly, by counselling this child to overcome her trauma- because that is exactly what her pregnancy and child birth has been. At this point, I do not think that Gladys NEEDS any stern lectures from anyone on pre-marital sex- she is already a mother and preaching to her of the many sins she has has committed will be kinda STUPID, if you ask me.
Thirdly, I do not think this child was prepared to have a child at this tender age in her life. So she needs ADULTS who can assist her in embracing positive parenting skills- which DO NOT come naturally, by the way.
Fourthly, Gladys is still a primary school girl who must stay in school. That means that she will be a better mother for her young infant if Gladys herself is allowed to GROW UP FIRST to be a WOMAN who has an education that can enable her to live an independent and dignified life.
Courtesy of Islandmix
This story is a little dated!
ReplyDeleteGladys Chelagat gave birth on June 27, 2005, to the son of the man in his sixties, who had taken in and fed her when she was a little girl...
See Wikipedia : List of Youngest Birth Mothers !!!
After checking, the case had already been reported on June 20th, 2005; she would have given birth thus rather between June 15th and June 20th, 2005.
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