Chencho Dema

Punakha—A 15-year-old girl, now 36 weeks pregnant, has not been able to identify the father of her unborn child.

According to sources, Punakha Dzongkhag Hospital reported the incident to the Punakha Police Station on December 26.

The girl, a class eight school dropout and is from Samtse, currently lives with her mother and stepfather, who work as daily wage labourers in Goenshari gewog, Punakha.

Both the mother and the stepfather were summoned by the police for questioning but both denied having any knowledge of her pregnancy.

The pregnancy came to light after the girl complained of stomach pain and her mother took her the Goenshari Basic Health Unit (BHU), where medical staff confirmed her pregnancy. She was later referred to Punakha Dzongkhag Hospital for further care.

Despite questioning by her mother and stepfather, the girl did not disclose the identity of the father, claiming that the incident might have occurred while she was intoxicated, as she used to drink in the past.

The Punakha Police have registered the case as the rape of a child above 12 years of age.

Under Section 183 of the Penal Code of Bhutan, an individual is guilty of this offence if he or she engages in sexual intercourse with a child aged between 12 and 18 years.

The crime is a second-degree felony under Section 184, punishable by nine to 15 years of imprisonment.

The police is currently under investigation and declined to provide further details.

Over the past five years, Punakha has reported 10 cases of teenage pregnancies involving minors aged 12 and above. One of the victims suffered miscarriage in 2023.