This 11-year-old schoolgirl had a baby … on her wedding day | News Of The World
This 11-year-old schoolgirl had a baby … on her wedding day
By Jane Atkinson in Sliven, Bulgaria, 01/11/2009
HOLDING up her tiny baby for the camera, 11-year-old bride Kordeza declares: “I’m not going to play with toys any more - I have a new toy now.”
For the youngster barely old enough to start senior school has just become a MOTHER after going into labour during her WEDDING to her teenage boyfriend.
She was still wearing her flowing white dress and tiara when she arrived at hospital and gave birth to 5lb 8oz Violeta.
But after spending the night with her newborn, Kordeza - who you can see on video below - changed back into her wedding dress and nipped out to finish the ceremony.
And the Zhelyazkova family couldn’t be happier for their child bride - the youngest girl ever to give birth in a city where 13-year-old mums are routine.
After leaving hospital this week, Kordeza - who fell pregnant within two weeks of her 11th birthday - spoke exclusively to the News of the World.
With proud husband Jeliazko Dimitrov, 19, at her side, Kordeza admitted: "It feels strange to be a mum and have a baby.
“I used to play with my toys but now she is my new toy. She is so beautiful, I love her. Violeta is the child and I must grow up. I am not going back to school - I am a mother now.”
Kordeza met Jeliazko in the playground of her Roma gypsy school in Sliven, Bulgaria, when he rescued her from bullies.
The worried teenager - who is facing up to six years in prison for having sex with a minor - wrings his hands as he recalled: "I was walking past the school when I saw some boys mocking her and I told them to leave her alone.
“Then she arranged to meet me and asked me out on our first date. I thought she was 15. She didn’t tell me she was 11.”
Kordeza giggled: “I didn’t want to say in case he wouldn’t fancy me.”
The pair went on their first date to their local park then met at his mum Violeta’s house near the gypsy ghetto where they both grew up.
But within a WEEK of them meeting, their daughter was conceived. Kordeza admitted: "I haven’t had sex education classes and I didn’t know how to get pregnant. I’d never had a boyfriend and I’d never heard of condoms.
“I didn’t know I was pregnant until my grandmother saw I had put on weight. I just thought I’d eaten too many burgers.”
By then Kordeza was five months pregnant and living with her grandmother Dida, 55, because her parents were both working on vineyards in Spain.
Home is a ramshackle one- bedroom bungalow with no bathroom tucked away in a labyrinth of filthy alleys in the ghetto - ironically called Hope.
Dida said: "I noticed she was getting fatter and asked if she was OK. But she’s a shy girl and she just shrugged at me. I never imagined she was having sex. She’s the kind of girl that likes to play on the computer and loves her schoolwork - her favourite subject is maths.
“I was still worried though and when she told me she had met a boy I bought her a pregnancy test. I hit the roof when it was positive, and she cried and cried.”
Incredibly, it is not uncommon for Roma girls to fall pregnant in their teens.
Sliven is the underage mums capital of Europe with 177 cases last year.
Dida, who herself married at 13, explained: “It’s normal for our girls to have babies young. It’s our tradition. But I didn’t want it for my Kordeza - I felt she was too young.”
When Jeliazko found out he was going to be a dad he dashed back from Spain, where he had been working on farms.
He recalled: “I was really scared. We didn’t plan to have sex or a baby although I fell in love with Kordeza the moment I saw her.”
Her mum Raina, 33, said: “I fainted when I found out Kordeza was pregnant. I couldn’t believe it but I knew I had to stand by her.”
The family quickly planned a three-day Roma wedding for October 22 - so Kordeza and Jeliazko could be married before the baby was born.
His mum Violeta, 36, married at 13 and had him when she was 14. She explained: “It is so important for our women to be married when they have a baby.”
Nobody presides over the ceremony, but Roma gypsies believe the weddings - where most brides are aged 14 to 17 - are legal in their tradition and more important than a conventional service.
But as the families marked the second day of celebrations, Kordeza went into labour a week early. She explained: “I had been having pain in the morning and a couple of hours into the wedding it got worse.”
She was rushed to hospital and gave birth 20 minutes later. Kordeza said: “It was quite easy but painful too. I was very happy when I saw her. She has a nose like me and hair like Jeliazko.”
The new mum then returned to the ceremony in time to be married before getting back to the hospital to feed her baby.
Both grandmothers will be guardians of baby Violeta, easing the concerns of local social services who initially wanted to take the baby into care. Kordeza and her daughter will receive £70 a month in state benefits.
Hospital doctor Sonya Mihaylova confirmed: “This is the youngest child who ever gave birth in our ward.”
Raina said: “Kordeza is still a child and I hope to do everything I can to make sure she isn’t robbed of her free time.”
Prison
But her new husband Jeliazko is not allowed to live with her as the Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the case. For having sex with a girl under 14 he could face two to six years in prison.
Jeliazko said: “I’m scared. I want to look after my wife and child. Instead I may be going to prison. I made a mistake but I am not going to apologise for that because now I have beautiful Violeta.” Raina added: “Everybody seems to be against Kordeza and Jeliazko but what have they done wrong? They are a young couple in love.”
They are already planning their future together. Jeliazko said: “We know that having a baby is a big responsibility. My wife is young but I will make sure that I look after both of them if the law allows me.”
And he dreams of giving his daughter a better future. “I am going to work hard and make sure we all have a good life,” he promised. "I want Violeta to be educated, to be able to read and write. She was born famous and maybe she will stay famous like becoming a doctor who invents brilliant medicine or saves lives.
“Whatever she does I will be proud of her - she is my little girl.”
Kordeza adds: “I don’t want more children right away. I think one is enough for now.”
The family are planning a huge party next week to celebrate Violeta’s birth. Jeliazko’s mum said: "We want to show her off. I just hope that my son does not go to prison.
"He is a good boy and a hard worker. He loves his wife and he will support his baby.
“I don’t think it matters that they are young. They are in love with each other and the baby. Surely that is enough.”
