Many parents turn a blind eye, and some even expect their children to produce a grandchild as early as possible, Chen said. To secure an ideal daughter-in-law, parents are even known to wait at the school gate to identify a perfect match for their sons.
"If they see a girl they like, they will visit her family to talk about an engagement," Chen said, adding that many people consider a girl to be "leftover" if she is not married by the time she is 20.
"Others will get the best girls if we don't act fast," said one parent who was waiting outside the school.
Call for intervention
Wang Chenghui, deputy head of Diaolou Township Health Center, said childbirth at a young age not only harms the young mothers, but also increases risks for the babies. For example, teen mothers are more likely to experience hemorrhaging and difficult labor, he said.
Population control officials have tried education, but to no avail.
"What can we do about it once they are already pregnant?" asked an official at the county's population and family-planning bureau, who asked not to be named. "All we can do is fine them."
Xinying township generated more than 1.2 million yuan last year in fines collected from the teenage parents of 210 babies. All lacked marriage permits.
The official added that because they lack legal protection, many young couples separate before reaching marriage age, resulting in many single parents.
"Some find a new partner, while others just leave for the city and never come back," he said.
Liao Hui, head of the Hainan Lawyers' Association, said local officials were to blame for the number of underage mothers and the unregistered marriage-style relationships.
He called on the authorities to improve their education strategies to protect girls.
"Motherhood is too heavy a burden for such young shoulders," he said.
