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EVEN THE ROADS WEPT
Pregnancy is the biggest killer of teenage girls worldwide. And girls under 15 are five times more likely to die in pregnancy than women in their 20s. Societal pressure, from family tradition to dowry worries, transforms girls of the "untouchable" Manghi caste in the rural Indian state of Bihar into child brides and child brides into teen mothers-- whose bodies may not be ready for pregnancy. Here, the median age for marriage is 15 and almost 60% have had children by the end of their teens. The high cost of private clinic care and mistrust of government hospitals means that most deliver with traditional birth attendants at home, where complications are often fatal. In this photo, a tear rolls down the cheek of teenager Muni Devi as she lies unconscious in a recovery bed after delivering her first child via Caesarian section at a private clinic in Bagulpur village, Bihar, India. The family had to take a high interest loan to pay for the fees. The baby girl had been sideways in the womb and could not be turned by the traditional birth attendant, who said that Muni would have died had she not had the operation.
- Copyright
- Allison Shelley
- Image Size
- 3000x2000 / 748.8KB
- Contained in galleries
- EVEN THE ROADS WEPT

