An 11-year-old girl has given birth in Azerbaijan in the central Imishli District, leading to the arrest of her step-father.

The girl was admitted to the Republican Clinical Hospital in Baku on 29 October where she underwent a caesarean section. The baby, who was delivered six weeks prematurely, passed away on Tuesday, the hospital told Qafqazinfo.

On Tuesday, the Social Services Agency said they had taken the girl to a shelter.

Also on Tuesday, the Prosecutor General’s Office said they had arrested the girl’s stepfather, born in 1978, and charged him with rape of a person under the age of 14 and violent actions of sexual nature towards a person under the age of 14; each carries a penalty of 8–15 years in prison.

The accused has been remanded into four months of pre-trial custody.

The State Committee for Family, Women and Children’s Affairs said on 30 October that they had opened their own investigation.

Psychologist Narmin Shahmarzadeh told OC Media that it was not enough to simply place the victim in a general shelter, and that she would need specialised care.

‘Along with a psychologist, sociologists must work hard to help the child’s recovery’, Shahmarzade said.

‘There must be special shelters for such cases. This process must be carefully monitored.’