A 36-year-old New Zealand woman has been summoned by a district court after delivering a baby fathered by an 11-year-old boy.
Child, Youth and Family (CYF) confirmed that the woman faced criminal charges.
The matter came to light after the Auckland boy told his principal that the woman, a mother of his friend, had sex with him. It started in April 2011 when the boy's friend took off from school for a day and was coaxed by the friend's mother to do the same. He agreed and spent the entire day at the woman's house. She then allegedly gave him beer and later involved him in sexual intimacy. They had several sexual encounters for over a year and at the end of 2012 the boy confessed the entire issue to his school principal. By the time the woman had delivered the baby with him.
The principal said that the boy told him that "it needs to stop." The principal immediately informed CYF about the matter. "We got CYF involved the minute we found out about it," he said. CYF said that the baby had been taken into care about two months ago.
The case has raised alarm over women involved in sexual offences. "This case raises an important point. I will seek advice from officials whether or not a law change is required," Justice Minister Judith Collins said.
In New Zealand, only men are charged with rape that can put them behind the bars for maximum 20 years. Women involved in sexual crimes face charges of sexual violation with maximum of 14 years imprisonment. The New Zealand Herald reported that the boy, who turned 12, has been taken into care. Once the boy's age is confirmed he would become New Zealand's youngest father, reported Brisbane Times.
