KOHIMA, FEBRUARY 2 (MExN): The Phek Area Mothers’ Association (PAMA) has expressed shock over a reported incident involving the pregnancy of a minor and the alleged involvement of an individual aged over seventy years under Phek district.
In a condemnation issued by the association, PAMA stated that “any form of sexual involvement with a minor is a grave violation of the law, a serious abuse of power, and a fundamental breach of moral, ethical, and social responsibility.” It added that when such an act is associated with an elderly individual, “someone who should embody wisdom, protection, and guidance,” it represents “not only personal failure but a betrayal of societal trust.”
The association said that “a minor cannot give informed consent” and asserted that any relationship leading to a minor’s pregnancy “constitutes exploitation and abuse, regardless of circumstance or justification.” According to PAMA, such actions cause “lifelong physical, emotional, psychological, and social harm to the child involved and deeply wound the conscience of the community.”
PAMA called for immediate legal accountability under applicable child protection laws, full protection, care and justice for the minor, and community vigilance to ensure such abuses are neither ignored nor repeated. The association further urged law enforcement authorities “to take immediate and decisive action against the culprit, ensuring that he is held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
PAMA cautioned that “silence or inaction in matters of child exploitation is complicity” and said that society must stand firmly against any behaviour that endangers minors and undermines their dignity, safety and future.
