Still Child, Already Mother - Teenage Pregnancy in BrazilA Report by Bianca Kopsch - video Dailymotion

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Still a teen but already a mom to several kids: Every year in Brazil, almost 500,000 girls under 20 give birth – more than in most other countries.

Transcript

00:00 Vitoria is 17 and pregnant for the second time.

00:11 Teenage mothers are not uncommon in Brazil, especially in impoverished areas.

00:17 Many people are quick to pass judgment.

00:19 They say all hope is lost, any chance for a future over.

00:23 "It hurts.

00:25 Who wants to hear that their life is over?"

00:30 Nearly half a million teenagers give birth in Brazil every year, making it one of the

00:35 countries with the highest number of teen mums in the world.

01:01 Vitoria's due date is fast approaching.

01:05 Soon she'll give birth to her second child.

01:08 Almost every seventh baby in Brazil is born to a teenage mother.

01:12 In poverty-stricken areas like here, the rate is often much higher.

01:17 Vitoria doesn't like being labelled.

01:19 "Everyone says, 'What, you're having another baby?'

01:23 Everybody has an opinion about it.

01:25 People say I won't be able to finish school, that my life is over, that I won't be able

01:29 to do anything except sit at home and watch the kids."

01:35 She lives with her boyfriend Eduardo and their daughter Lara in one of the many favelas of

01:40 Rio de Janeiro.

01:43 Eduardo is 22 years old and trying to finish high school.

01:48 On the weekends he works in a snack bar.

01:50 In the morning he takes their two-year-old to daycare.

01:53 Along the way he passes the drug dealers, who control the neighbourhood.

01:58 Drugging is forbidden.

01:59 Even life-threatening.

02:02 Vitoria was 12 when she met her boyfriend.

02:05 She first got pregnant at 14.

02:08 They weren't using contraception.

02:10 Still, she wasn't expecting it.

02:13 The subject of contraception is still taboo in Brazil.

02:17 Former President Bolsonaro and his government even tried to restrict sex education in schools.

02:23 Instead, he promoted abstinence.

02:26 No sex before marriage.

02:28 That's what churches preach too.

02:30 Like many here in the favela, Vitoria's family is very religious.

02:34 She concealed her pregnancy from them until the last minute.

02:37 "I was so scared.

02:40 I thought, my God, I'm only 14 and I'm going to be a mother.

02:44 I was in shock.

02:45 I was crying all the time and I was very, very depressed."

02:52 When she got pregnant the second time, she considered having an abortion.

02:57 But doing so in Brazil is illegal and highly risky.

03:01 Many still die from these secret procedures.

03:04 Conditions are often unsafe because there's no access to professional clinics.

03:10 "I'm back."

03:13 Eduardo's occasional shifts at the snack bar barely brings home the equivalent of 100

03:18 euros a month.

03:19 Welfare payments add about 150 euros to their income and half goes towards rent.

03:26 Their new baby dresser barely fits in the one-room apartment.

03:30 And soon, they'll be a family of four.

03:33 Their financial problems are getting worse.

03:36 Vitoria also tries to earn some extra cash.

03:39 She makes house calls to other girls in the favela.

03:47 Vitoria took a makeup course to turn her passion into a profession.

03:51 "What kind of makeup do you want?"

03:54 "Something subtle."

03:55 "I earn a little money doing makeup.

04:02 That helps a lot.

04:04 My dream is to open my own beauty salon."

04:09 But for now, her career plans are on the back burner.

04:12 So is graduating from high school.

04:15 She's in the home stretch of her pregnancy.

04:18 Vitoria is one of around 400,000 teenagers in Brazil who become mothers every year.

04:24 Even if these numbers are falling, the figure is still twice as high as the international

04:29 average.

04:30 In Brazil, almost a third of the population lives in poverty.

04:38 In terms of population, Brazil is the seventh largest country in the world, with more than

04:43 200 million residents.

04:45 Gender inequality is a huge issue.

04:47 The affluent South Zone of Rio de Janeiro is worlds away from the reality of Vitoria's

04:53 life.

04:54 After giving birth the first time, the then 15-year-old was referred directly from the

04:59 hospital to this NGO for social services.

05:03 The Dara Institute is a center for mothers in need, including teen mothers.

05:07 "Good morning.

05:08 How are you?

05:09 Good morning, Eduardo.

05:10 Hi, Lara.

05:11 Are you laughing at me?"

05:12 Social worker Katia Bauer helps the couple set short and long-term goals.

05:20 It's important their education doesn't fall by the wayside, so their job prospects aren't

05:25 limited.

05:26 When that happens, most teen moms find themselves unable to escape the cycle of poverty.

05:31 "Your daughter's only two, and now there's another baby coming.

05:38 With two children, it gets even harder.

05:41 Eduardo has said he wants to give his daughter the life he did not have.

05:45 So it's time for you to reflect on your family and think about contraception."

05:51 Afterwards, they have a consultation with the doctor.

05:58 Like most living in poverty, Vitoria doesn't have health insurance.

06:03 Out of shame, she didn't get any regular check-ups until late in her pregnancies.

06:08 The first time, there were complications, common among teenagers.

06:13 She needed a C-section to deliver her baby.

06:19 Last time, there was fetal distress with your high blood pressure.

06:23 "Her heartbeat dropped out."

06:27 That means this is another high-risk pregnancy.

06:31 "Our goal is for them to become independent and take charge of their own lives.

06:39 We don't want them to require another institution to do that."

06:44 The Dara Institute supports mothers in social and financial need.

06:48 It's unusual to see a supportive partner like Eduardo here.

06:52 Most here are single mothers.

06:54 That's why the NGO also offers vocational training that's compatible with raising children

06:59 – cooking, makeup, cutting hair.

07:02 Vitoria has made use of this opportunity as well.

07:05 Presentations and group discussions also provide guidance and social support.

07:10 "You feel like you're in good hands.

07:14 Everyone here knows what's going on.

07:15 We're all in the same situation and we support each other."

07:18 "My dream came true.

07:22 A girl and a boy."

07:23 "Ours too."

07:27 Vitoria and Eduardo are looking forward to the birth of their second child, despite the

07:32 additional stress.

07:34 But without this external support, they likely would have broken up, as is the case with

07:38 most teenagers who become parents.

07:42 "We argued a lot.

07:47 But at some point, you need to work things out, not only for our sake, but for the sake

07:52 of the children.

07:53 Soon there will be two."

07:57 They receive a bag with formula and diapers.

08:00 Plus a grocery card worth around 40 euros.

08:05 It's a vital supplement to the household budget to get them through the month.

08:17 Back in the favela Morro do Dende in the north of Rio.

08:23 "I didn't have a clue about anything.

08:28 My daughter taught me many things, because becoming a mother so young is like nothing

08:32 else.

08:35 She taught me to be strong, to take care of her, to be a good mother to her."

08:40 "Aren't you so pretty?"

08:43 "Yes, you are."

08:52 Monday is family day.

08:54 They visit Vitoria's grandmother.

08:56 She lives just a few houses away.

08:59 We're not allowed to accompany her on the street with the camera.

09:02 The armed drug dealers in front of the door do not want to be filmed.

09:09 Vitoria grew up with her grandmother.

09:11 When Vitoria was three months old, her mother left her here and ran off with a new partner.

09:18 This loss left its mark on Vitoria.

09:21 She sees it as one of the underlying reasons she became a mother at such a young age.

09:26 "I missed my mother's love.

09:35 I wish I'd had a real mother.

09:37 Of course my grandma is like a mother to me, but I still miss her anyway.

09:42 And I wanted to prove that I could be a better mother than my mother was to me."

09:48 The fact that Vitoria got pregnant before finishing school disappointed the whole family.

09:53 But her grandmother, Sonia Oliveira, did not turn away, which often happens to other girls.

09:58 "People say, 'You have to kick her out, don't support her.'

10:02 But I do support her.

10:04 As long as we're alive, we will help her.

10:07 Now it's up to her if she finishes school."

10:11 Somehow the family holds together, despite the strain of various conflicts and their

10:16 tight finances.

10:18 Even Vitoria's mother has re-entered the picture.

10:21 The birth of her grandchildren has brought her and her daughter closer.

10:28 Larissa is also part of the family.

10:30 Her newborn is her second child too.

10:35 "The baby clothes I was given are too small for him.

10:40 I'll bring them to you."

10:43 Larissa also became a mother when she was still a teenager.

10:47 Her first daughter is now six.

10:51 The family prays for a brighter future.

11:08 Vitoria recognizes the path out of poverty is through education and work.

11:14 "I'd like to study medicine.

11:19 I still want to get my high school diploma.

11:22 I want to work a lot and leave the favela and give my children a better home.

11:29 I'd also like to have a small beauty salon because it's something I really enjoy."

11:39 A selfie at Sugarloaf Mountain, the symbol of Rio de Janeiro.

11:44 Vitoria and Eduardo don't let bleak statistics deter them.

11:48 "We're hanging in there.

11:51 She's doing her job and I'm doing mine to provide a better future for our kids in a

11:55 few years."

11:56 "We want to give them a better life.

12:00 Work hard to give them the best."

12:04 And with that, Vitoria says her family planning is complete before her 18th birthday.

12:11 Everything else will follow, even if the way forward is not so easy.

12:27 (dog barking)

12:29 [BLANK_AUDIO]

Still Child, Already Mother - Teenage Pregnancy in BrazilA Report by Bianca Kopsch

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