PREGNANT AT 12: Region 6 records three 12-year-old moms in 2019

By Francis Allan L. Angelo

 

Civil registry data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) for 2019 revealed three recorded live births from young girls aged 12 years old.

This disturbing data shared by the Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM)-6 gets grimmer as PSA figures in 2019 indicated that births among girls ages 10-19 remain high in the region at 9.28 percent, compared to 9.3 percent in 2018.

In 2019, of the 105,225 total live births, 9,766 were from girls 12 to 19 years old. This is lower compared to 9,770 in 2018.

“We have also noticed that live births belonging to adolescents 10-14 years old also increased from 88 in 2018 to 107 in 2019,” POPCOM-Region VI Regional Director Harold Alfred P. Marshall said in a press statement.

Capiz topped the region in teen pregnancy with 11.2 percent, followed by Guimaras (10.5 percent), Aklan (9.73 percent), Negros Occidental (9.6 percent), Iloilo (9.5 percent) and Antique (8.3 percent).

Bacolod City posted a 4.3 percent teen pregnancy rate and Iloilo City with 7.9 percent.

In the same statement, POPCOM-6 said it is coordinating with the local government units and other partner agencies in the implementation of the Adolescent Health and Development (AHD) Program to increase adolescents’ awareness of their reproductive and sexual health.

The AHD program also aims to reduce cases of teenage pregnancy and repeat pregnancy.

Some of the activities conducted are AHD Classes, U4U Teen Trail, linking demand generation to service delivery, capacitating young people as peer educators and connecting with parents and significant adults through Parent-Teen Talk.

To fit the demands of time, a mobile application called “AHlam Na!” was also launched to reach more adolescents.

 

FACTORS

Early pregnancy among adolescents is caused by complex and interrelated factors. It can be attributed to several causes to include sociological, psychological, cultural, and even economic factors. Also, it can be linked to lack of information, peer pressure, family problems, lack of refusal skill, inappropriate use of social media, sexual violence, and lack of access to services.

 

DISRUPTED DREAMS

If not avoided, teen pregnancy often leads to dropping-out of school, social stigma and discrimination, repeat pregnancy, contribute to the endless cycle of poverty, emotional stability and even death (for the baby or mother).

 

HOW TO AVOID?

POPCOM-6 and its partners have long been advocating to delay sexual activities as the first line of defense.

There are a lot of options in order to delay early sex like engaging in worthwhile activities with the partner or being faithful to their dreams and aspirations, hence the AHDP tagline: “Piliin ang pangarap, huwag ipagpalit sa sandaling sarap”.

However, not all can say “NO”. That is why there are Adolescent Friendly Health Facilities where the adolescents can ask for information and services on family planning. It is important to get the correct information so that they can voluntarily decide to accept information or services based on informed choice and voluntarism.

“We are quite alarmed with the latest statistics that despite our demand generation strategies for information and services, teen pregnancies continue to increase. Considering the steady rise in teen pregnancy cases and the impact of pandemic, POPCOM-Region VI will double its efforts in mitigating pregnancy among our adolescents especially our young girls,” Director Marshall said.

The decrease in number of teen pregnancies may be considered insignificant in terms of absolute number but saving the future of adolescents from potential uncertainty is a positive step in the right direction.