Of the average 1.5 million birth certificates being registered with the NSO every year, births by teenage girls have notably increased from 7.1 per cent of total live births in 2000 to 11.7 per cent in 2010.

NSO data also show that teen mothers do not stop at one child. From 2007 to 2010, girls under the age of 15 who have given birth to their third child increased by 300 per cent.

Equally alarming is number of maternal deaths among girls below 20 years old, which has increased by nearly 80 per cent from 2000 to 2010.

The United Nations Population Fund estimates that about 16 million girls aged 15-19 give birth each year, and complications from pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death among girls in this age group, especially in developing countries like the Philippines.

In his message for this year’s observance of World Population Day, which focuses on the growing problem of teen pregnancy worldwide, UNFPA Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin said adolescent pregnancy is a development issue, as much as it is a health issue. 

“It is deeply rooted in poverty, gender inequality, violence, child and forced marriage, power imbalances between adolescent girls and their male partners, lack of education, and the failure of systems and institutions to protect their rights,” Mr. Osotimehin said.

“Adolescents and youth must be provided with age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education to develop the knowledge and skills they need to protect their health throughout their lives. However, education and information are not enough. Good quality reproductive health services must also be readily available in order for adolescents to make informed choices and be healthy.”

Comprehensive sexuality education has long been acknowledged as an effective deterrent for early and unplanned pregnancies among young girls. It is one of the provisions in the Reproductive Health Law that the Philippine Congress passed in December 2012. Implementation of the law, however, has been suspended pending a resolution by the Supreme Court on questions of its constitutionality.

While implementation of the law remains suspended, more young Filipinos are exposed to risks of early pregnancy, both in terms of endangering their lives and compromising their future. The International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action, to which the Philippines is a signatory, puts emphasis on human rights.

The ICPD has moved population policy and programmes from a focus on numbers to a focus on individual human lives. Adolescent girls should be able to enjoy their human rights, which is a key to reduce intergenerational cycles of poverty.