KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) has expressed its disappointment over the court’s decision to charge a 15-year-old rape victim, who had stabbed her newborn son, for murder and calls for a revisit in their decision.
According to MMA president Dr Koh Kar Chai, the court’s decision will lead to severe psychological consequences for the girl.
“This young girl, herself the victim of a crime nine months ago, is now again a victim of injustice.
“If she is already depressed during her unwanted pregnancy, the risk of developing postpartum depression is definitely higher.
“There is a definite need to revisit the court’s decision in this case,” he said in a statement today.
He highlighted that survivors could exhibit high-risk behaviours and be subjected to mental health issues, in addition to reproductive health issues, such as gynaecological trauma and risks of sexually transmitted infections.
They also have to face criticism and victim-shaming from society, despite being victims themselves who desperately need support.
He said that this added stress will eventually push victims towards unwarranted behaviour such as infanticide.
Koh also questioned the lack of psychological support for the teenager during her pregnancy.
“Why was the girl, who is a rape survivor, not offered the proper psychological support throughout her pregnancy?
“What horrors and stress must have accompanied this young girl throughout her pregnancy to make her commit infanticide on the day the child was born?”.
On February 8, the 15-year-old rape victim was arrested after police found a dead newborn baby at a house in Kemaman.
According to Hanyan Ramlan, the Kemaman district police chief, preliminary investigations found that the baby had been stabbed with a sharp object.
Yesterday, a bail application for the girl, who was charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder, was rejected by the Kemaman magistrates’ court without a reason.
She will be taken under police custody until her next case management on March 16. – The Vibes, February 16, 2022
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