Over 1,000 teen pregnancy cases a year at Vanivilas in Bengaluru

About 30% of teenage pregnancies at the government-run Vanivilas Women and Children’s Hospital in Bengaluru are reported to the police and treated as Pocso cases, data shows. And in 70% of these Pocso cases, marriage is the cause of pregnancy.

The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act provides for stringent punishment for child sex abuse. The suspect is arrested and has to remain behind bars for at least three months till the charge sheet is filed.

Though outlawed, child marriage remains prevalent, especially among the middle and lower middle classes.

The invocation of the Pocso Act in cases of teenage pregnancies that are a result of marriage has emotional, financial, medical and legal consequences for both the victim and the suspect.

Dr C Savitha, Medical Superintendent said: “Teenagers have a higher risk of complications like preeclampsia, labour abnormalities, incomplete development of the child, anaemia and malnutrition. If an anaemic person has a haemorrhage during delivery, the chances of death are higher. The same is the case if preeclampsia progresses to eclampsia and the person can’t reach the hospital on time.”

Vanivilas gets patients within 200 km of Bengaluru, including other states. But 75-80% of the teenage pregnancy cases are from Bengaluru, with most cases from lower socioeconomic strata, says gynaecologist Dr Radhika.

Irrespective of the marital status, the hospital is bound to report all cases to the police, who then book Pocso cases.

“Police treat the cases of married girls like any other Pocso case, the husband will be arrested. The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, is also applied to the husband and others who supported the marriage,” says a police officer associated with the Nirbhaya one-stop centre for women.

Vanivilas identifies underage girls from hospital forms and Aadhaar cards. Police then collect details like DNA and age determination tests. “The accused gets bail after three months, once the charge sheet is filed. According to the act, husbands will be punished, but sometimes, the judge shows leniency,” the officer says.

A doctor at Vanivilas says that among married girls, the majority are those who had eloped and don’t have the support of parents.

“In these cases, only the husband accompanies her to the hospital. So once the husband is arrested in the Pocso case, she will be alone and have difficulty taking care of the child. So we retain the mother and child for a few days to support her.”

In the case of unmarried girls, too, many cases are of consensual relationships. Only the girl’s parents would be present at the hospital. If they refuse to care for the newborn, the district’s Child Welfare Committee (CWC) takes a decision on putting the baby up for adoption.

Stakeholders say many teen pregnancy cases may go unreported.

Lakshmi Prasanna, a former CWC member for Bengaluru Urban, says private hospitals contributed to only 2-3% of the total cases coming to CWC. The majority of reported cases are from Vanivilas. But even here cases may get missed if the patient declares incorrect age and isn’t visibly young, says Dr Radhika.