Adult men behind most teen pregnancies in PH — PLCPD, CRN

In 2024, over 3,600 girls under 15 gave birth with most pregnancies involving older men, according to Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data shown by the Commission on Population and Development.

During the first hearing of the 20th Congress on the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (APP) Bill, the non-government organization Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD) and the Child Rights Network (CRN) Philippines cited the figures reveal a deeper crisis of gender-based violence, rather than a simple health or social issue.

“Most pregnancies among girls under 15 are likely the result of statutory rape, where older men take advantage of the significant power difference in age, maturity, and authority,” PLCPD and CRN shared on their Facebook post, this last day of Women’s Month, Mar. 31.

By the numbers, the data showed that of the 3,612 live births among mothers under 15, only three cases involved fathers of the same age.

Another 108 cases involved fathers one to two years older, 693 fathers three to five years older, 912 fathers six to 10 years older, 333 fathers 11 to 20 years older, and 24 fathers more than 20 years older.

In 1,539 cases, the father’s age was not reported.

According to the PLCPD and CRN, the APP Bill responds to this reality by strengthening child protection systems and providing comprehensive adolescent sexuality education, including lessons on consent and protection against gender-based violence.

“It ensures that children are protected before harm occurs and reduces the conditions that allow abuse to happen in the first place,” the groups stated.

The said bill complemented the existing laws, such as Republic Act No. 11648, which raised the age of statutory rape from below 12 to below 16, and Republic Act No. 11596, the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act.

“But these cases persist despite existing laws. Laws that penalize abuse after it happens are not enough,” PLCPD and CRN stressed out.

The groups emphasized that the APP Bill is a legislative response to a crisis already happening in communities nationwide, not a theoretical proposal.

“The bill ensures that children are protected before harm occurs and addresses the social conditions that allow exploitation to continue,” the statement said.