As teenage pregnancy rates are decreasing in the United States, rates in the Dominican Republic are soaring. In this Caribbean country where abortion is illegal under any circumstance, more than one in 10 teenage girls became pregnant in 2013—double the world average and triple the United States average. Along with poverty and the Dominican Republic's legal sex trade, these figures are mostly attributed to the lack of sexual education at home and in schools. Teenagers are simply advised, mostly by parents, to not have sex, but are rarely taught about it. Though trends in the country’s developing cities differ from the mountainous rural regions, one remains constant: Teenage pregnancy is everywhere. Pamela Pinales, 16 years old, 7 months pregnant, poses for a portrait outside her family home where seven people live. Pamela, who is a junior in high school, she says it is common for girls to get pregnant while attending school. “Before I got pregnant, I did not know anything abou

Miriam, 18 years old, 9 months pregnant, talks outside a hair salon with Peace Corps volunteer Zena Clements. Zena started hosting weekly lessons on the mountain to teach teenagers how to properly use condoms and to talk about sex, relationships, and contraceptives—things that are considered taboo in homes. Doctor Eudhy Estevez, who has completed six months of a yearlong internship at the Jamey clinic, said the high rate of pregnant teenagers can be attributed to the insufficient knowledge of contraceptive use.

Yudeiqui, 18 years old, Aleini, 3 years old, and Yobel, 4 months old: While her son Yobel sleeps inside, Yudeiqui Brito Guzman, who goes by Ariza, sits and feeds her daughter. "I'm here alone and I have no one to help take care of my children," said Ariza, who begins her day at 7 a.m. to prepare breakfast for Aleini and Yobel. Her partner Yosandi, 19, visits Saturday through Monday when he is not counting oranges at the market for work. Because he only makes about 5,000 pesos—roughly equivalent to $113—each month, Ariza’s parents sometimes send them money. “It’s not enough—what he gets at work—but we make everything possible to cover the kids’ needs,” she said.

Yesenia, 16 years old, 4 months pregnant, Jason 2 years old: Yesenia, four months pregnant, sits with her niece and 2-year-old son, Jason. Standing with them is her partner Vilo, who she believes is 32. He is actually 73, about her father’s age. Although teen mothers' spouses are commonly older in the mountainous region of San Cristobal, known as Jamey, Yesenia’s case is extreme. “I wish he could be younger,” she said of Vilo, who has at least 12 children with other women in the village. “I have to love him because he is my baby’s father.”

Yanilda, 18 years old, 7 months pregnant, Yason, 1 1/2 years old (left); Maria, 18 years old, 5 months pregnant, Omar 2 years old: Maria and Yanilda bathe their children before bathing themselves outside of their home. The two girls, both pregnant with their second child, live together with their children in Jamey. Maria says she did not know how to avoid having children. Her mother’s advice was "Don’t be with too many boys," and "Protect yourself." “If I had known about birth control and condoms, I might have been protected,” Maria said. “I did not know anything.”

Danet Pinales, 17 years old, Daneuris, 11-days-old: Danet pauses during an interview while holding her son, Daneuris. “I feed him, bathe him,” said Danet, who wants her baby boy to become an engineer. “I take care of him very good.” Danet stopped attending school after completing the fifth grade. She said she plans to go back once her child is three months old, but for now, her focus is on tending to her newborn. “I did not want to have the baby now,” she said. “I should have waited, but it just happened."