A 14-year-old girl who recently gave birth, reportedly after she was raped, will receive all necessary support from the state, the Commissioner for the Protection of Children’s Rights said on Monday.

Elena Perikleous was commenting on the story that came to light earlier in the day.

She said her office learned of the case from media reports.

“The criminal aspect does not concern us, naturally. What we are interested in, is that the 14-year-old should have the support and care she needs, along with her baby,” Perikleous said.

The commissioner said also that her office will ensure the young mother receives an education.

“We’ll see to it that she has a support network around her.”

Regarding the criminal case – where a 19-year-old man is the suspect – a police spokesman declined to give any details, citing the sensitivity of cases involving minors.

Daily Phileleftheros reported that the girl claims her pregnancy was the result of non-consensual sex.

The suspect – said to be a foreign national – appeared before Limassol district court over the weekend. He was remanded in police custody for five days.

He is reportedly suspected of sexually abusing a minor, rape, kidnapping and carrying a knife.

According to Phileleftheros, on November 5 last year the teenage girl visited Limassol general hospital as she was in severe pain – she had gone into labour. Doctors examined her, finding she was 34 weeks pregnant. The girl later gave birth to a healthy baby. Doctors immediately alerted the police.

On leaving the hospital, the 14-year-old mother was transferred to the Children’s House – a facility for sexually abused children.

Initially she claimed she did not know who fathered the baby, but said that she was raped.

In January this year, in a new interview, the teenager changed her account, saying that the incident took place at a kiosk in her neighbourhood. She claimed she was approached by a Syrian man, who took her to a remote location and raped her.

Later the girl was interviewed again, giving more details. In her new statement, she claimed she and a female friend were at a park near her home when a man approached them. The man then allegedly led the 14-year-old to his car.

According to this account, the man was initially friendly, but then began acting aggressively, locking the car doors. He then drove off to a remote location.

The girl said the man then offered her an ‘energy drink’, which she drank. She doesn’t recall what happened next. However, she later realised she had had sexual intercourse.