A growing concern_ Teenage pregnancy in Brazil _ DW Documentary
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00:00Vitoria is 17 and pregnant for the second time.
00:06Teenage mothers are not uncommon in Brazil, especially in impoverished areas.
00:11Many people are quick to pass judgment. They say all hope is lost, any chance for a future over.
00:18It hurts. Who wants to hear that their life is over?
00:23Nearly half a million teenagers give birth in Brazil every year.
00:29Making it one of the countries with the highest number of teen mums in the world.
00:35All ready for day care?
00:55Vitoria's due date is fast approaching. Soon she'll give birth to her second child.
01:03Almost every seventh baby in Brazil is born to a teenage mother.
01:08In poverty-stricken areas like here, the rate is often much higher.
01:12Vitoria doesn't like being labelled.
01:15Everyone says, what, you're having another baby? Everybody has an opinion about it.
01:21People say I won't be able to finish school, that my life is over,
01:24that I won't be able to do anything except sit at home and watch the kids.
01:31She lives with her boyfriend Eduardo and their daughter Lara in one of the many favelas of Rio de Janeiro.
01:38Eduardo is 22 years old and trying to finish high school.
01:43On the weekends he works in a snack bar.
01:46In the morning he takes their two-year-old to day care.
01:49Along the way he passes the drug dealers who control the neighbourhood.
01:53Filming is forbidden, even life-threatening.
01:58Vitoria was 12 when she met her boyfriend.
02:01She first got pregnant at 14.
02:03They weren't using contraception.
02:06Still, she wasn't expecting it.
02:09The subject of contraception is still taboo in Brazil.
02:12Former president Bolsonaro and his government even tried to restrict sex education in schools.
02:19Instead, he promoted abstinence.
02:22No sex before marriage.
02:24That's what churches preach too.
02:26Like many here in the favela, Vitoria's family is very religious.
02:30She concealed her pregnancy from them until the last minute.
02:34I was so scared.
02:36I thought, my God, I'm only 14 and I'm going to be a mother.
02:40I was in shock.
02:42I was crying all the time and I was very, very depressed.
02:47When she got pregnant the second time, she considered having an abortion.
02:52But doing so in Brazil is illegal and highly risky.
02:56Many still die from these secret procedures.
02:59Conditions are often unsafe because there's no access to professional clinics.
03:06I'm back.
03:08Eduardo's occasional shifts at the snack bar barely brings home the equivalent of 100 euros a month.
03:14Welfare payments add about 150 euros to their income and half goes towards rent.
03:21Their new baby dresser barely fits in the one-room apartment.
03:25And soon there'll be a family of four.
03:28Their financial problems are getting worse.
03:31Vitoria also tries to earn some extra cash.
03:34She makes house calls to other girls in the favela.
03:42Vitoria took a makeup course to turn her passion into a profession.
03:47What kind of makeup do you want?
03:50Something subtle.
03:55I earn a little money doing makeup. That helps a lot.
03:59My dream is to open my own beauty salon.
04:04But for now, her career plans are on the back burner.
04:08So is graduating from high school.
04:11She's in the homestretch of her pregnancy.
04:14Vitoria is one of around 400,000 teenagers in Brazil who become mothers every year.
04:19Even if these numbers are falling, the figure is still twice as high as the international average.
04:25In Brazil, almost a third of the population lives in poverty.
04:33In terms of population, Brazil is the seventh largest country in the world, with more than 200 million residents.
04:40Social inequality is a huge issue.
04:43The affluent south zone of Rio de Janeiro is worlds away from the reality of Vitoria's life.
04:49After giving birth the first time, the then 15-year-old was referred directly from the hospital to this NGO for social services.
04:58The Dara Institute is a center for mothers in need, including teen mothers.
05:03Good morning. How are you? Good morning, Eduarda.
05:07Hi Eduarda, are you laughing at me?
05:10Social worker Katia Bauer helps the couple set short and long-term goals.
05:16It's important their education doesn't fall by the wayside, so their job prospects aren't limited.
05:21When that happens, most teen moms find themselves unable to escape the cycle of poverty.
05:28Your daughter's only two, and now there's another baby coming. With two children it gets even harder.
05:36Eduarda has said he wants to give his daughter the life he did not have.
05:41So it's time for you to reflect on your family, and think about contraception.
05:50Afterwards, they have a consultation with the doctor.
05:54Like most living in poverty, Vitoria doesn't have health insurance.
05:58Out of shame, she didn't get any regular check-ups until late in her pregnancies.
06:03The first time, there were complications, common among teenagers.
06:08She needed a C-section to deliver her baby.
06:14Last time there was fetal distress with your high blood pressure.
06:20Her heartbeat dropped out.
06:22That means this is another high-risk pregnancy.
06:29Our goal is for them to become independent, and take charge of their own lives.
06:34We don't want them to require another institution to do that.
06:39The Dara Institute supports mothers in social and financial need.
06:43It's unusual to see a supportive partner like Eduarda here. Most here are single mothers.
06:49That's why the NGO also offers vocational training that's compatible with raising children.
06:54Cooking, makeup, cutting hair. Vitoria has made use of this opportunity as well.
07:00Presentations and group discussions also provide guidance and social support.
07:07You feel like you're in good hands. Everyone here knows what's going on.
07:11We're all in the same situation, and we support each other.
07:16My dream came true. A girl and a boy.
07:19Ours too.
07:23Vitoria and Eduarda are looking forward to the birth of their second child, despite the additional stress.
07:29But without this external support, they likely would have broken up, as is the case with most teenagers who become parents.
07:36We argued a lot. But at some point, you need to work things out, not only for our sake, but for the sake of the children.
07:48Soon there will be two.
07:52They receive a bag with formula and diapers. Plus, a grocery card worth around 40 euros.
07:59It's a vital supplement to the household budget to get them through the month.
08:07Back in the favela, Morro do Dende, in the north of Rio.
08:16I didn't have a clue about anything.
08:19My daughter taught me many things, because becoming a mother so young is like nothing else.
08:26She taught me to be strong, to take care of her, to be a good mother to her.
08:32Aren't you so pretty? Yes, you are.
08:41Sunday is family day. They visit Vitoria's grandmother. She lives just a few houses away.
08:48We're not allowed to accompany her on the street with the camera.
08:51The armed drug dealers in front of the door do not want to be filmed.
08:56Vitoria grew up with her grandmother.
08:58When Vitoria was three months old, her mother left her here and ran off with a new partner.
09:04This loss left its mark on Vitoria.
09:07She sees it as one of the underlying reasons she became a mother at such a young age.
09:12I'm a mom. I'm a mom.
09:14I'm a mom.
09:16I'm a mom.
09:18I'm a mom.
09:20I'm a mom.
09:22I'm a mom.
09:24Pretty.
09:26I'm a mom.
09:28I missed my mother's love. I wish I'd had a real mother.
09:32Of course my grandma is like a mother to me, but I still missed her anyway.
09:37And I wanted to prove that I could be a better mother than my mother was to me.
09:43The fact that Vitoria got pregnant before finishing school disappointed the whole family.
09:48But her grandmother, Sonia Oliveira, did not turn away, which often happens to other girls.
09:55People say, you have to kick her out, don't support her.
09:58But I do support her.
10:00As long as we're alive, we will help her.
10:02Now it's up to her if she finishes school.
10:07Somehow, the family holds together, despite the strain of various conflicts and their tight finances.
10:13Even Vitoria's mother has re-entered the picture.
10:16The birth of her grandchildren has brought her and her daughter closer.
10:23Larissa is also part of the family.
10:25Her newborn is her second child, too.
10:32The baby clothes I was given are too small for him.
10:35I'll bring them to you.
10:39Larissa also became a mother when she was still a teenager.
10:42Her first daughter is now six.
10:47The family prays for a brighter future.
11:04Vitoria recognizes the path out of poverty is through education and work.
11:13I'd like to study medicine.
11:15I still want to get my high school diploma.
11:18I want to work a lot and leave the favela and give my children a better home.
11:24I'd also like to have a small beauty salon, because it's something I really enjoy.
11:34A selfie at Sugarloaf Mountain, the symbol of Rio de Janeiro.
11:39Vitoria and Eduardo don't let bleak statistics deter them.
11:45We're hanging in there.
11:46She's doing her job and I'm doing mine to provide a better future for our kids in a few years.
11:54We want to give them a better life.
11:56Work hard to give them the best.
12:00And with that, Vitoria says her family planning is complete, before her 18th birthday.
12:06Everything else will follow, even if the way forward is not so easy.