A 10-year-old girl taken to hospital with acute abdominal pain was discovered to be six months pregnant, prompting the arrest of a man accused of abusing her. The child was admitted to the emergency department of Colonia Dora Hospital in the province of Santiago del Estero, brought by her mother after suffering severe stomach pains. An obstetrician who assessed her found she was at an advanced stage of pregnancy, despite her mother reportedly telling the doctor the girl had not yet begun menstruating.
Stepfather named and arrested
During the medical appointment, the child named her stepfather, 33-year-old Julio Vivas, as the individual responsible for the alleged abuse. Prosecutor Guillermo Farías, who is overseeing the investigation, ordered Vivas' arrest. Police officers went to a residence in the rural district of El Bracho, where the suspect was living with the girl and her mother.
Vivas was detained on Tuesday morning, with officers confiscating his mobile phone as part of their investigation. He remains in detention as proceedings continue.
Family reaction and investigation
The girl's grandmother, Norma Gómez, expressed her heartbreak following the revelation, stating she had previously cautioned her daughter against placing excessive trust in the man. In an interview with local broadcaster Noticiero 7, she explained her daughter, Andrea, had met Vivas online. "She met him over the phone, but I always told her not to trust him too much," Norma said.
The grandmother also revealed she had gone through something similar in her own childhood. "I went through the same thing as the little girl did when I was eight. I know that kind of suffering," she said. Norma continued: "I always used to tell my husband: if anyone so much as lays a finger on one of my children, I'll kill them with my own hands." She has demanded justice and pressed authorities to guarantee the accused faces full accountability.
Meanwhile, the child's teacher, Lucrecia, said she did not see anything out of the ordinary at school. "She is a quiet girl; she does her homework... I have never noticed any strange behaviour on her part, nor has she ever been unwell," she told local media.
Further concerns have been raised regarding the broader family environment, with claims that the girl's mother had been enduring violence and intimidation. Investigators are still gathering evidence, including looking into the confiscated mobile phone. Officials have yet to publicly release additional information concerning the girl's medical status or the measures put in place to safeguard her wellbeing.
