Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 29) – President Rodrigo Duterte has signed an executive order adopting as a national priority the implementation of measures to prevent teenage pregnancy.
Under EO No. 141 signed on June 25, the President directed all concerned government agencies and instrumentalities to address the root causes of the growing problem.
The government said these include the lack of reproductive health education, “deep-seated” norms that justify violence against women and children, engendered patterns of discrimination, and the vulnerability and exclusion of girls living in remote areas.
Among the interventions listed under the EO are ensuring access to comprehensive sexuality education and to reproductive health and rights services. It also noted the need for more education and employment opportunities for young people.
In 2018, the Philippine Statistics Authority recorded nearly 184,000 live births among adolescents aged 10 to 19. This is equivalent to 504 cases a day.
The total stood at around 181,000 in 2019, with a daily average of 495 live births.
“According to a January 2020 policy brief by the United Nations Population Fund Philippines, out of all live births within the adolescent age group, only 3% is fathered by men of the same age group,” the order also read.
This suggests that such pregnancies “may be a result of coercion and unequal power relations between girls and older men.”
Besides violence, young mothers as well as their child also face increased risk of health problems, such as sexually transmitted infections, anemia, and postpartum hemorrhage, the EO noted.
With the pandemic lockdowns, the government added the number of adolescent pregnancies is expected to rise, as girls already living in abusive homes are forced to spend more time in their households.
Based on teenage pregnancy trends, the Commission on Population and Development earlier estimated that around 133,000 families will be led by minors by the end of 2021.
