The number of mothers giving birth at increasingly younger ages reportedly rose in 2023, according to a study by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
According to PSA, 2,113 babies were born to mothers under the age of 15 in 2020, with the number continuing to rise to 3,343 by 2023.
During a press conference by the Child Rights Network (CRN) on Friday, January 24, they highlighted this issue amidst their call for lawmakers to support Senate Bill 1979, or the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Bill.
Au Quilala, convenor ng CRN, said her piece about the issue.
“How can children prevent something like teenage pregnancy if they do not know anything or rely on inaccurate information that they’ve just heard somewhere?”
“The Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality Study said that the number one source of information for young people about sex is not their parents but the Internet, followed by their peers.”
“Delikado kapag sa Internet lamang kumukuha ng impormasyon ang mga bata without proper discernment. May mga kaso rin kung saan ang mga magulang o guardians ng mga bata ang mismong nang-abuso sa kanila. We want to prevent abusive parents from continuing to manipulate and harm their children.”
Thus, they emphasized the importance of comprehensive sexuality education to provide children with the space and courage to report any abuse they may experience from their parents or guardians to teachers and authorities.
It will be remembered that after some senators withdrew their signatures from Senate Bill 1979, its author, Senator Risa Hontiveros, announced that she would create a substitute bill to address the concerns of various groups.
However, according to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr., he will first read the substitute bill after being asked whether his stance on this issue would change.