Just a child

The girl in the picture is still only a child, but according to statistics, she is likely to be a young mother. While the number of teenage mothers is declining in most parts of the world, the number is rising in the Philippines. 

Manila.

In the Philippines, the sexual age of consent is 12 years, and is thus among the lowest in the world.

At the same time, abortion is illegal, there is limited or no sexual education in schools, and access to protection is difficult.

For example, girls under the age of 18 must have parental permission to receive contraception. It all contributes to about 500 teenage
Filipinos every day that become mothers. 

In 2012, it was decided that there should be free access to protection and that sexual education should be on the school schedule, but it has not yet been implemented. The Catholic Church, which is one of the country's most powerful institutions, continues to oppose.