The father of this newborn baby is 12-years-old.

By MAMAMIA TEAM

A 36-year-old woman has given birth to a baby whose father is only 12-years-old. The New Zealand woman is the mother of one of the boy’s school friends.

This bizarre and disturbing case came to light when the 12-year-old boy in question approached his school principal and told him that he had been engaging in sexual acts with his friend’s mother. The boy was 11-years-old when the woman first had sex with him, and is now 12-years-old.

The New Zealand Herald reports:

“You won’t be very happy with me,” he [the principal] recalled the boy saying. He said he had been having sex with his friend’s mother “and it needs to stop”.

The principal said the boy was “very aware” of the situation he was in and determined he wanted the contact to end.

The Weekend Herald was told that the contact between the boy and the woman began about April last year, when the boy was aged 11. The woman’s son took a day off school and encouraged his friend to do likewise, spending the day at his home.

During the course of the day, the woman gave the boy beer to drink and then later took part in a sexual encounter with him.

Both children – the father and the newborn – are currently under the care of the state. Child Youth and Family Services in New Zealand have confirmed that they are investigating further but have not yet revealed any more details.

And unbelievably, there is another disturbing layer to this story.

This incident has thrown light onto current New Zealand laws, which make it legally impossible for a woman to be accused of rape. The legislative definition of rape is such that it can only be a valid charge when men force sex upon another person. When women force another person to have sex with them, they stand accused of the lesser charge of sexual violation.

In 1986, New Zealand did embark on major reform of its rape laws – which included introducing a gender-neutral definition of sexual violation (in Article 128 (3)). However, in New Zealand legislation, Article 128 (1) still defines rape as the penetration of genitalia by the penis.

Following this distressing incident being reported in the press, New Zealand Justice Minister Judith Collins said in a statement, “This case raises an important point. I will seek advice from officials on whether or not a law change is required.”

He said, “As a male you’re supposed to enjoy it but we don’t say that about young girls. Males are not seen as victims. The psychological damage is huge – and they carry extra shale because it’s a woman and you’re supposed to enjoy it.”

Shockingly, cases like this are not uncommon.

Fairfax pulled together a list of similar cases, including a 45-year-old woman who was charged with having sex with a 15-year-old boy in 2012. Then there was the case in 2009, when a 36-year-old woman was charged with having sex with a 15-year-old boy – the son of her friend. In another widely-publicised case 2007, a woman was jailed for having sex with two underage boys. The list goes on.

One can’t help but wonder what the future holds for both of these children – the 12-year-old who has been sexually abused, and the baby he has fathered.

Hopefully, this case will continue to draw attention to the fact that as a society we need to be aware that both men and women can be perpetrators of child sexual abuse. In either case, the perpetrators should face the same charges. And in either case, the victims deserve the same level of care and consideration.