Last year I was told the story of a man who sexually abused five
generations of women in his family and procured babies as a
result of the abuse. The youngest was three years old when he
died. He was an extremity, but the violence that the women
suffered is not.
5 100 girls between the ages 10 to 14 gave birth in Guatemala in
2014. All as a result of rape. This makes for one of the highest
rates in Latin America. In 89 percent of the cases the perpetrator
was from within the girls family. Impunity is almost complete.
The issue of pregnant young girls describes a wide fundamental
problem that touches the root of gender based violence and
inequality in the world; that women and especially girls are
prescribed a lower value than men, by men and by themselves. I
have documented Guatemalas young mothers.
Awards Linda Forsell received recognition from the Visura Grant, Magnum Expression Award, Swedish Arts Comittee, the Lead Awards, Flash Magenta Award and a nomination to the Magnum Emergency Fund among others. Her work has been exhibited internationally in for example Beijing, Sweden, Guatemala, London, and Holland. Her work has been published in the Guardian, Washington Post, Vice Magazine, the New Yorkers photo booth among others. For the past six years she has worked extensively on women’s issues, based out of New York. Linda’s project Life’s a blast became a book in 2012. www.lindaforsell.com
