Group calls to avert teen pregnancy, teach kids on reproductive health
THE perennial national concern on rapid population increase has bred another challenge in the person of young girls bearing children.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that there were 3,135 cases of adolescent pregnancies among kids aged 10 to 14 in 2022, or 35 percent higher than the 2,320 cases recorded in 2021. PSA noted a worrying upward trend in teenage pregnancies under the age of 15 since 2017, which up to now makes the Philippines having constantly one of the highest rates of childbearing women at a young age in Asia.
Alarmed by this situation, Save the Children called for the joint effort of families and the government in educating the youngsters about their rights and reproductive health.
Timely to the International Women’s Month celebration this March, Save the Children Philippines hopes to draw attention to early and unplanned pregnancies among very young kids.
“We call upon the government to prioritize comprehensive access to sexual and reproductive health information and services, conduct massive awareness-raising campaigns, and strengthen health systems to safeguard the safety and well-being of our children,” Save the Children’s Technical Adviser for Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Shebana Alqaseer said.
“Additionally, we encourage parents to engage in open and healthy conversations with their children about sexuality and reproductive health to empower them to make informed choices,” she added.
The face of teenage pregnancy
AMONG the growing statistics on teen childbearing in the country is 11-year-old Maria (not her real name) from Eastern Visayas.
Her story is no different from other teen mothers. She was a victim of abuse of their landlord’s teenage son. With her bravery despite her young age, she bravely survived this ordeal—thanks to her mother Josie, who guided and helped her to cope up with such traumatic experience.
With what she went through, however, it did not give her a reason to abort her child.
“Looking back, I realize the significance of equipping my children with the tools to understand consent and fostering open dialogue. Had I participated in the ‘HEART to Heart’ program sooner, I could have better supported and empowered Maria through her ordeal,” Josie said.
Healthy, Empowered and Responsible Teens or “HEART to Heart” program is a nationwide initiative of Save the Children Philippines to help mothers and caregivers learn to communicate with adolescent children on lessons of sexuality and reproductive health.
In addition to this, the organization held Positive Parenting workshops as part of the ADDVOICE project.
Josie was one of the hundreds of parents and caregivers who joined in the workshops. Her story underscores the impact of proactive parental engagement and community programs in safeguarding the well-being and resilience of teen girls.
The rising prevalence of adolescent pregnancy, which is considered a national problem today, cannot be rooted from a single cause. Rather, it is the result of a combination of biological, social, and cultural factors.
Such factors contributed to six adolescent sexuality and reproductive health issues: early sexual debut; limited access to comprehensive sex information and education; inadequate communication skills among parents, whom adolescents identify as one of their preferred sources of information regarding sexual reproductive health; lack of access to family planning services; cultural practices that encourage early union; and absence of adolescent sexuality and reproductive health or ASRH policies and its full-implementation.