Teenage Fertility in Brazil: social policies, inequalities and gender violence

Brazil's adolescent fertility rate ranks third highest in Latin America, with persistent inequalities despite a national decline over the past three decades. Structural social determinants like chronic poverty, systemic racism, and sexual violence contribute to these inequities, along with barriers to legal abortion and access to reproductive healthcare. Such disparities disproportionately affect the most vulnerabilised groups, with gender violence exacerbating social and health disadvantages, perpetuating a cycle of vulnerability and inequality among young girls. This project merges scientific innovation with community engagement to develop two main goals: investigate and document these inequities, their links to sexual violence and early marriages; and to co-design a communication and dissemination strategy with local stakeholders. By engaging the health, education, legal, and NGO sectors, the team aim for their results to generate relevant advocacy tools that can empower adolescents, prevent violence, ensure equitable access to education, and promote reproductive health.

Research Team: Dr Dandara Ramos, Federal University of Bahia; Ms Ruth Dundas, University of Glasgow; Dr Andrêa Ferreira, Iyaleta Research Association; Dr Emanuelle Goes, Iyaleta Research Association