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As teen pregnancies in the Philippines soar, young mums struggle to cope with their ‘blessings from God’ amid the pandemic
Every day, some 500 teenage girls give birth in the Philippines, where preventing teen pregnancies was made a ‘national priority’ by President Duterte last year A pandemic squeeze on already underfunded health services has caused hardship, but change – including raising the age of consent to 16 from 12 – is on its way
Erlyn, 18, stopped going to school after the death of her asthmatic brother in 2019. Her friend Daisy, now 16, lost her mother in 2017, the cause of death unclear as the poverty-stricken family had no cash for medical tests; they still blame witchcraft for their loss.
Devastated and needing money, Erlyn began working as a masseuse where she met a man in his early 30s who quickly became her husband, while Daisy left home at 15 to live with her boyfriend, now husband, the same age as her and also out of school.
Motherhood swiftly followed, with Erlyn giving birth to her son Hades in December 2020 and Daisy’s boy Reysy Vee born in October last year.
