Why is sex ed in Philippines schools under debate?

MANILA - Adolescent pregnancy has become a national emergency in the Philippines, where girls as young as 10 years old become mothers.

The archipelago nation has one of the highest adolescent birth rates in Asia, with 47 births annually per 1,000 women aged 15-19. That's higher than the average adolescent birth rates of 44 globally and 33.5 among countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Lawmakers have introduced a bill to curb teen pregnancies that involves expanding young people’s access to sexual and reproductive health services and teaching comprehensive sex education in schools.

The Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Bill was passed by the House in 2023 and has moved to the Senate.

The bill aims to prevent pregnancies by giving youth proper knowledge and support about their sexuality.

But it is facing hurdles, with debate among lawmakers, child rights advocates and conservative groups heating up over sex education in the Christian-majority country.

A religious coalition in the Philippines launched a campaign that said imposing international standards on comprehensive sex education would corrupt children by teaching them about masturbation.

But the bill does not explicitly contain such provisions, and supporters are warning the public against misinformation.

What is comprehensive sex education?

Comprehensive sex education is a concept promoted by various U.N. agencies, which includes a curriculum-based process of teaching young people about “the cognitive, emotional, physical and social aspects of sexuality.”

It aims to give them the skills to protect their health, well-being and dignity starting at an early age and to delay the sexual debut of children, according to the United Nations Cultural and Scientific Organization (UNESCO).

In 2018, the U.N. published a technical tool designed to support countries that were planning to invest in sex education.

The guidelines were issued to make sure government policies on sex education were “comprehensive” — covering diverse topics that are age-appropriate, medically accurate and based on evidence.

This includes teaching children the scientific concepts of human development, anatomy and reproductive health as well as information about childbirth and sexually transmitted infections.

According to the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report in 2023, 20% of countries have a law and 39% have a national policy that specifically addresses sex education.

Sex education in primary education is compulsory in 68% of countries and in secondary education in 76% of countries, according to the report.

Teachers in eight in 10 countries also receive some form of in-service training on sex education.

Is sex education being taught in Philippine schools?

Comprehensive sex education, or CSE, is already integrated into basic education in the Philippines.

The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012 mandates sex education from kindergarten to Grade 12.

But the law prohibits access to contraceptives without parental consent by anyone under age 18, and abortion is illegal. The legal age of sexual consent is 16.

In 2018, the Department of Education released policy guidelines on the implementation of CSE amid a rise in teen pregnancies, sexual assault and sexually transmitted infections among young Filipinos.

The guidelines describe CSE as “an age-appropriate, culturally relevant program for teaching about sexuality and relationships by providing scientifically accurate, realistic, and nonjudgmental information.”

Eugene Mapula, a teacher who has taught CSE and helped develop its framework in elementary schools in Caloocan in northern Manila, said the topic is integrated in learning areas such as arts, physical education, health and science.

“CSE is a protection for young people from sexual abuse and discrimination, and parents are also involved in the way we teach this topic in schools,” said Mapula, who noted one student at his school applied what she learned in CSE lessons to report and seek protection from sexual abuse by a relative at home.

In a statement in January, the education department acknowledged concerns regarding the pregnancy prevention bill but emphasized the role of CSE in equipping youth to make informed decisions about their health and well-being.

Why is CSE being debated in the Philippines?

The bill against teen pregnancies filed by Sen. Risa Hontiveros seeks to promote comprehensive sex education in Philippine schools. She originally included the phrase “guided by international standards” but removed the mention after receiving criticism that it was inappropriate.

Opponents claim the bill involves teaching masturbation to children as young as toddlers and is inappropriate for Filipino values, but such a provision is not explicitly mentioned in the bill.

At least one lawmaker has called for scrapping comprehensive sex education entirely from the national curriculum.

Child rights groups and policymaking bodies, including the Commission on Population and Development and the Council for the Welfare of Children are calling for swift passage of the bill, and the U.N. has encouraged all Filipinos to verify information they hear about it.

“CSE addresses a complex area of intersection between health, education, prevention and social development, based on research, data and analysis of social behaviours,” said Jose Roi Avena, deputy representative of UNFPA to the Philippines.

Avena noted that misinformation about CSE and the role of various U.N. agencies “has circulated in the Philippines.”

The Department of Education, meanwhile, said that comprehensive sex education “is not about encouraging sexual activity, but rather about ensuring that learners understand how to protect themselves from serious health risks.”

(Reporting by Mariejo Ramos; Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst.)