An Indonesian housemaid impregnated by her employer's 13-year-old son is being forced to care for their baby behind bars.
The 34-year-old mother was convicted of having sex with a minor in October last year and sentenced to 12 months in jail.
She is awaiting the outcome of an appeal against her conviction, due to be heard at the Supreme Criminal Appeals Court today, but in the meantime is being kept in a detention centre in Isa Town '“ accompanied by her seven-month-old daughter.
Her lawyer Seham Sulaibeikh told the GDN that her client was pleading with the grandparents of the baby girl to take care of her.
'Why must a seven-month-old child suffer behind bars?' said Ms Sulaibeikh
'The child is aware of her surroundings and will be further affected psychologically by this experience.
'My client is requesting that the family of the father of her child take care of the child, who they don't even want to acknowledge at the moment.
'How can they have the heart to let a piece of them spend time in jail? My client is poor and the child is not in a good condition because she is not being taken care of properly.'
The Indonesian woman will learn if the appeal filed against her conviction is successful tomorrow. According to court documents, she used to share a room with the 13-year-old Bahraini and his three younger brothers and had sex with the older boy several times before falling pregnant.
She gave birth to a baby girl in the toilet of her employer's apartment in Budaiya and was taken to hospital by the boy's parents.
DNA tests proved the 13-year-old was the father and the maid initially claimed she was raped, but the prosecution found that she had instigated the relationship.
By Noor Zahra
