ADOLESCENCE is a period of rapid physical, sexual, mental, and social development. It presents both opportunities for learning and risks of unintended pregnancies and coerced sex. Prominent sexual health needs during this transition include anxieties about maturing bodies, insecurities regarding identity and orientation, and heightened urges to engage in relationships and sexual activities.
Lost opportunity to apply comprehensive sexuality education (CSE)
Unfortunately, many Filipino adults stigmatize this heightened sexual curiosity, labeling experimentation as “promiscuous” or “indecent” behavior that is dangerous to both adolescents and society. Instead of affirming these changes as a natural part of growing up, some adults choose to suppress them. Rather than equipping youth with protective information and skills, they prefer to override adolescent autonomy. Instead of implementing effective models like CSE that empower youth, opponents subvert the program with misinformation and political interference.
CSE is an educational approach informed by global experiences in addressing adolescent pregnancy, STIs, and HIV. Evidence shows that CSE is effective in: 1) delaying sexual initiation for those who are not yet active; 2) reducing the number of sexual partners and the frequency of sexual activity; and 3) increasing the consistent use of protection, such as condoms and contraceptives, among those who are active.
Unfortunately for adolescents and their families, the Department of Education replaced its CSE and human rights-based policy with a parents’ rights and protective framework in 2025. This shift marks a departure from evidence-based empowerment toward a more restrictive approach to sexual health.
WHO recommendations for effective prevention of early and coerced pregnancy
As early as 2011, the WHO recommended the following evidence-based strategies: 1) reducing marriage before age 18; 2) lowering pregnancy rates among those under 20; 3) increasing contraceptive use among adolescents at risk of unintended pregnancy; and 4) preventing coerced sex among adolescents.
Reducing marriage before age 18 involves influencing policy, family and community norms to defer marriage, empowering girls, and motivating them to pursue careers.
Lowering pregnancy rates among those under 20 requires earnest CSE in schools, alongside advocacy engaging relevant stakeholders to support pregnancy prevention and sexuality education.
Increasing contraceptive use among adolescents at risk of unintended pregnancy involves first, formulating laws and policies to increase access to contraceptive information and services; second, transforming health facilities into “adolescent-friendly” centers that offer contraception and other reproductive health services through providers trained to respect adolescents’ rights; and third, fostering families and communities that support adolescents’ access to contraceptives.
Preventing coerced sex among adolescents involves strengthening social norms that promote gender equality and reject sexual abuse and violence; empowering adolescent girls to resist sexual coercion; and convincing men and boys to advocate for gender equality.
Policy and normative reforms needed
Effectively preventing early and coerced pregnancy requires a balance of protective and empowering strategies. Many protective laws are already in place, such as the Anti-Rape Law (1997) and the Anti-VAWC Law (2004), which criminalize physical, sexual, emotional, and financial violence. Additionally, the Family Code (1987) and the Anti-Child Marriage Law (2021) forbid and punish marriage before age 18.
However, restrictive and punitive laws are not always sufficient. For example, despite stricter marriage laws, the Philippines has seen a surge in births among unmarried women—rising from less than 10% in the 1990s to 60% in 2024. These informal “live-in” situations, increasingly common among adolescents, heighten the risk of unplanned pregnancy—a critical need that remains unaddressed when policies focus primarily on married women.
With the scrapping of CSE in schools, it remains to be seen if the new “Reproductive Health Education” policy can inculcate life skills in adolescents so they can protect themselves and manage their lives.
Policies that foster a supportive environment for sexually active adolescents, particularly girls, are sorely lacking. Without such support, these young women—comprising less than 10% of girls aged 15–19—must battle stigma, judgment, and rejection just to access essential services. Historically, their need for contraception has been subordinated by legislative frameworks that frame teen pregnancy almost exclusively as a result of sexual abuse and coercion. By focusing only on abuse, their explicit need for—and choice of—contraception is often obfuscated by the generic and less controversial term “reproductive health services.”
While legislators debate the merits of various APP Bills, a multisectoral movement—comprising adolescents, parents, health workers, teachers, government employees, and faith groups—is working to provide solutions on the ground. The strategies to help adolescents prevent early and coerced pregnancy are already known. But a key question remains: will legislators provide the enabling law?
Allona Marie Hermosa
Communications Officer
Likhaan Center for Women’s Health
27 Ofelia Street, Barangay Bahay Toro, Quezon City
7116-6587 • office@likhaan.org • https://likhaan.org
