Flying Petals (2020 - ongoing)
More women in Vietnam are becoming single mothers for different reasons. Some get married, but then divorced. Some are abandoned by their lovers as soon as they get pregnant, or are pressured to have an abortion, but refuse and then break up. There are also those who take the initiative to get pregnant but choose not to marry with their partner.
For women aged 18 – 30, non-married and having an unwanted pregnancy, they have to accept becoming single moms unwillingly. Most of them are terrified to tell parents or are rejected by their own families as the “unwed mothers” stereotype is still evident in society. In a certain sense, that’s partly resulted in “Vietnam has one of the highest abortion rates in the world", according to a report from the World Health Organization (WHO, 2016).
In this project, I photograph in a shelter that is run by single mother who provides free accommodation and jobs for single mothers in difficult circumstances. At first they are passive, but they then become proactive, including, first of all, seeking other people’s help, instead of having an abortion as a form of liberation. They are content with co-living and share empathy from those who are all “in the same boat” when they stand at the turn-of-their-life.
"It is the best choice when there is nothing better."
This site is under construction.