A global child rights organisation has urged the government to curb early and unintended pregnancies among teenagers in the Philippines, which has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in Asia.
Save the Children Philippines drew attention to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) recording 3,135 cases of adolescent pregnancies among young girls aged 10-14 in 2022, which was a 35 percent increase from the 2,320 cases recorded in 2021.
The organisation said this was an “alarming trend” and called on the government and families “to join forces in educating children about their rights and reproductive health.”
The PSA has noted a concerning upward trend in teenage pregnancies under the age of 15 since 2017, it said in a March 1 statement ahead of International Women’s Day.