Christian Rodriguez’s photographs explore teen pregnancy in Uruguay, Mexico and Brazil. In his Brazil series, he photographs young mothers in their homes, where poverty often prevents them from getting ahead. As the son of a teenage mother himself, he hopes his project will show young girls some of the realities of motherhood, to help break the cycle of teenage pregnancy.

Rodriguez centred his Brazil series on Taiana Cezario Da Silva, aged 16, who is the third of seven siblings, and a daughter of a teenage mother in Complexo do Alemão, a large collection of favelas in Rio de Janeiro. The number of teen pregnancies is increasing in Brazil’s favelas, especially for girls between the ages of 14 and 19 years old.

Taiana met her boyfriend in the favela. Shortly after starting their relationship she became pregnant, and three months into her pregnancy her boyfriend was sent to prison for drug trafficking. She had to leave school to take care of her daughter. She hopes one day to return to school and study medicine.

According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), 20,000 girls under the age of 18 give birth everyday, and 95% of these pregnancies occur in the developing world. In Brazil, the average rate of pregnancies is 89 per 100,000 - more than double that of the world average.

Rodriguez has been working with Brazil-based NGO Ibiss. The NGO is working in Rio’s communities on a project called Meninas Mães (Girl Mothers) providing support and sex education for young girls, including Taiana.

Having a child at a young age has significant risks. According to the World Health Organisation complications during pregnancy and childbirth are the second cause of death for 15-19 year-old girls globally. Many girls also drop out of school.

The UNFPA argues teenage pregnancy is linked to poverty, gender inequality, discrimination, lack of access to services, and the social perception about girls and women.

Rodriguez believes a lot of teenagers in Latin America are not aware of the realities of parenting. “In poor areas having a child gives girls a new status in the community. She’s not just the girl playing in the street; she’s a mum,” says Rodriguez.

For Rodriguez, tackling teenage pregnancy is not just about access to contraception and sex education, it is about keeping girls in school and providing greater opportunities. The UNFPA report says Brazil could have a bigger productivity, the equivalent of $3.5m, if teenage girls delayed pregnancy until their twenties.

“In Brazil at the age of 16 you can’t drive, buy alcohol, or vote, but with permission of a parent you can get married and have a family. It’s a big contradiction,” Rodriguez says.