The number of teens becoming pregnant in Guatemala is startling by some figures. The government says teenage mothers accounted for nearly one out of every four births in the country.

Health experts say rural Mayan villages in Guatemala had some of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in the world.

“There are numerous families. They have many children, and they try to get rid of girls by inviting them to marry at early ages,” said Rocio Lopez from the Reproductive Health Observatory.

Most of these teenage girls said they’re not ready to become mothers, so the government is considering raising the minimum age of marriage for girls to 14. The push reflected a shift in attitudes in Guatemala, where the number of teen pregnancies is the highest in Latin America, and growing.

CCTV’s Franc Contreras reports from rural Guatemala.

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Bill Albert on teen pregnancy

CCTV America’s Mike Walter spoke to Bill Albert. He’s the chief program officer at the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.