WHEN a 10-year-old girl was rushed to hospital, doctors thought she had a tumour.

But tests revealed the girl was pregnant — and her stepfather was the father.

The stepfather, 42-year-old Gilberto Benitez Zarate, is on the run, with police accusing the girl’s mother of helping him flee.

Now the shocking story has triggered further outrage in Paraguay after the health minister blocked the abused girl from having an abortion.

Health Minister Antonio Barrios, a paediatrician, said it was out of the question to allow the termination because the underage girl was already in her 23rd week of pregnancy.

“If there needed to be an abortion, it had to be before the 20th week,” he said.

The head of the Clinical Hospital, Paraguay’s so-called “hospital of the poor,” said the girl would give birth by caesarean to avoid complications.

He said 14 girls between the ages of nine and 15 gave birth at the hospital last year, “and they all came out fine.”

A judge on Wednesday rejected a request by the girl’s mother to convene a team of medical experts to evaluate the possibility of an abortion.

The case has triggered new debate on abortion in Paraguay, where the constitution forbids it unless the mother’s life is in danger.

Rights group Amnesty International’s local office has launched a social media campaign, “#NinaEnPeligro” (Girl in Danger), accusing the government of violating the girl’s human rights by forcing her to carry the baby to term.

Paraguay: a pregnant 10-yr-old rape survivor's life is at risk. Take action to help her: http://t.co/ymCfNm2ola pic.twitter.com/xNOPXIFCUW — Amnesty UK (@AmnestyUK) April 30, 2015

While the case is sensational, child sexual abuse is all too common in the poor South American country, the United Nations Children’s Fund said.

“In Paraguay, every day two girls between the ages of 10 and 14 give birth. These cases are a consequence of sexual abuse, and in most situations, repeated sexual abuse from which the victims have not received timely, appropriate protection,” said UNICEF child protection officer Andrea Cid.

“Adolescent girls are not receiving adequate attention. This is our concern and we hope that in light of this case effective measures will be taken to protect them from intra-family violence.”

The girl is currently receiving medical and psychological care at the Red Cross hospital in Asuncion.