Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Photo exclusive of Guatemala, a country where childeren are being giving birth to teen mother between 10- 13 year-old

Ignorance: Gloria is just 13, and became pregnant by a 22-year-old nightclub DJ. Unlike Lilian, she doesn't feel like she was raped - but she barely seems to know how it happened. In Guatemala, the church holds a lot of sway - and they block attempts at sex education. The result is played out in the numbers - last year some 5,100 girls under 14 became pregnant, up from 4,354 in 2013, according to OSARToo soon: Gloria's baby came prematurely - or so she thinks. She didn't know when her last period was before she got pregnant. Poignantly, she is not allowed to accompany her boyfriend to work, because it is passed her bedtime
The babies cradled in these young girls' arms could easily be their little brothers or sisters. But this is Guatemala, a country where nearly a quarter of all babies are born to teenage mothers. Some haven't even reached their milestone 13th birthday - in 2011, 35 new mothers were just 10 years old, Nearly all teenage births, 90 per cent, involve a relative, an uncle or cousin - a horrifying 30 per cent of children are born as a result of the girls' own father. More photos after the cut...


In some ways, the numbers are the less shocking aspect of this epidemic, which puts both the mothers and their children in mortal danger. 

The trauma of what has happened to these girls, many too young to understand what was happening to them and some who had never heard of contraception, is etched on the faces of the mothers, captured by Swedish photographer Linda Forsell.

Story like:  a girl who was tied to a tree while a 53-year-old man raped her, a girl who was sold to her husband, 22, aged 12, a girl so young she didn't know she could get pregnant when a 28-year-old began bringing her gifts.

In 2014, there were 5,100 babies born to teen mothers under the age of 14, up from 4,354 the year before.

The government is attempting to crack down on the epidemic, however: this week a new law was passed, increasing the legal age for marriage to 18. Previously, it had been just 14.
Innocence: Lilian fell pregnant with her son Luis David, one, when she was 11. Her uncle is Luis's father. He began raping her when she was nine. Unlike many cases in Guatemala, he convicted for what he did - but only got a two-month restraining order to keep away from her

Family: Still a child herself, Lilian plays with her brothers and son Luis David, who are all so close in age they look like siblings enjoying playtime together

Comfort: Heidy was 12 when she became pregnant with son Marcos David. For girls like her having a baby so young spells the end of their education. Not at school, she finds solace in the church, which, ironically, creates barriers for authorities dealing with teen pregnancies

Teen mum: Michelle was 13 when she was raped by a man, 53, as she walked home from school. He chased her and tied her to a tree, which led her to became pregnant with daughter, Erica. Michelle is now pregnant for the second time after her mother sold her to a man in return for a bed. In Guatemala, until this month, marriage at 14 was legal

Trauma: Michelle did not want to hold her daughter (pictured in their home) for six months after she gave birth to her. How she had come into the world had left too much of a scar for the young girl

Threats: Jennifer, 14, gave birth to Anderson two years ago. The father - thought to be a criminal - has threatened the family several times since he was born. According to a 2009 law, sex with a child under 14 is defined as rape, but the family are too scared to report him

Fighting for her future: Remarkably, Jennifer is now back in school, thanks to a local charity

Painful: Later, Amelia suffered from a severe adema, or swelling. Pictured: The blood stained floor after Amelia gave birth
Cycle: Erica poses for the camera with her 18-year-old boyfriend. She is 14 and pregnant, and has left school already. When Forsell asked her about how the baby would change her life, she appeared confused. 'It won't,' the teenager said

Violence: Andrea is still a child herself, but is already pregnant with her husband's baby. She is back at her parents' home after he beat her

Childhood: Lilian plays while Luis David sleeps. She is lucky - many girls who become pregnant are shunned by their families, in the belief that is is them who have done something wrong

Jumping rope: The girls mix the stress of looking after their babies and playing with children their own age. It means they have to drop out of school and deal with emotions long before they are psychologically ready

Tiny: This little boy was born weighing just 4.4 pounds, or 6kg, at full term. Because of his low birth weight, is likely he will have health problems later in life. His mother Alicia is just 12 and she is married to Jaime, 22

Father: Jaime cradles his son, who is just days old. Many of the babies are born underweight, as their mothers do not understand the importance of nutrition while they are pregnant
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