POPBITS

Profile and Sexual Behavior of Young Filipinos

What is adolescence?
A vulnerable period when the young undergo physical, psychological and social unfolding
A period  when the young are most inclined to undertake greater responsibilities, to explore their sexuality and to ensure a healthy all-around development.
Who are considered adolescents?
Young people aged 10-24 years (DOH definition)
Reproductive Health Profile of Young Filipinos (Source: FPOP Flier)
Mature biologically at an early age; age of first menarche is 13.3 years.
2.4% women in the 15-19 age group have one child
28.2% of women in the 20-24 age group have at least one child.
74% of the total illegitimate births occurred to the 15-24 age group
Rural teen-agers are twice as likely to experience teen-age pregnancy than their urban counterparts.
20% of all maternal deaths occurred to teen-age mothers
17.4% of fetal deaths are attributed to teen-age mothers
Contraceptive prevalence rate is lowest for women belonging to the 15-19 ate group.
Sexual Behavior of Young Filipinos (Source: FPOP Flier)                       
1.6 million young male and 0.6 young females have had [pre-marital sex encounters
Average sexual debut is 18.1 years
A few of the sex encounters happened during the first date (4% for males, 1.3% for females)
Three fourths of the girls who had sex for the first time did it again with the same partner
Boys are less attached to their sexual debut partners; only 38% of them had sex with the same partner
74% of those who engage in sex did not use protection.
Filipino youths are generally aware of HIV/AIDS; most understand how it can be avoided, but many do not know that the symptoms of HIV may not be visible.
What Tasks Lie Ahead for Filipino Adolescents?
Development of sexual identify
Achievement of a concept of self independence
Creation of "meaningful human relationships"
Development of a personal value system
Development of sensitivity to new emotions
Development of decision-making skills
Assumption of some adult roles
Determination of a career, role or job direction

 

SEX? It's OK to Say NO . . .

Sex is a three word but it is a very sensitive and complex issue.  It tiltilates the minds of young people yet society considers it taboo. But should it really not to be brought out in the open or to be talked about?

Sex is as old as mankind; yet many Filipinos find it hard to talk about it.  Why?  Because Filipinos are conservative by nature.  Philippine culture does not encourage frankness and openness regarding sex.  But, inspite of our overt behaviour and attitude towards sex, sexual problems frequently crop up.

Nowadays, teenagers get a lot of pressure to engage in sex from friends, partners, TV, movies,. magazines, etc.  But you have the right to say "NO" and still be cool.  It's NOT fad to engage in sex if you're not ready.  It's your choice. Stand up for what you believe in!

Why Do Filipino Youth Engage in Pre-marital Sex?
"Pakikisama"  or "Pagbibigay" (Peer Pressure)
"Gaya-gaya" or "Para in" (Feeling of 'I belong to")
"Na carried Away" (So emotionally excited)
Philippine Facts and Figures (2001 Young Adult Baseline Survey of FAD)
The average  age for sexual intercourse is around 17 years for males and 18 years for females
 3 prevalent reasons for engaging in sexual intercourse includes: for adventure, experience and/or out of curiosity (57%); expression of love (47%); and mere sexual urge (22%)
Pregnancy and STDs are only some of the consequences of pre-marital sex
It is mostly the male partner not the female who planned pregnancy.
Some 28% know somebody who did something intentionally to end her pregnancy early by either the person concerned  (56%) or the partner (23%)
Abortion becomes involved when teen pregnancy occurs.          
Tips to say NO to sex. . . .

When your body says. It's normal o have sexual feelings, but you don't have to act on them.  Decide beforehand how  far you're willing to go and stick to it.  If you think or feel that you're going to explode. . . take a cold shower, go for a  stroll, keep yourself busy; find other healthy and safe outlets.

Stay away from alcohol or drugs.  Alcohol and drugs can impair your judgement and make one's behavior uninhibited.  Even if you mean to say no and in you're on drugs or drunk, inconsistency with one's actions might prevail.

Show how you care in other ways.  Talk about each other's lives.  Talk with your partner about sexual pressures and how both of you feel and what are the ways on how to handle them.

Open you hearts with your parents.  Talk and discuss the issue with your parents, they would be able to give you a better perspective on the matter.  Your parents were also teenagers once and that they have gone through whatever it it you are going through or will be going through in time.

 

Ten Key Issues Addressed to Create a World Fit for Children

Leave  No Child Out

Because every girl and boy is born free and equal in dignity and rights, all forms of discrimination and exclusions  against children must end.

Put Children First

Government must  meet obligations to children and young people.  At the same time, everyone -  including individuals, non-government organizations, religious groups, the private sector, and children and adolescents themselves - must recognize their responsibility to ensure tat child rights are respected.     

Care for Every Child

All children must enjoy the highest attainable standard of health, especially through immunization, good nutrition and diet, clean water and adequate sanitation, proper housing and a safe and healthy environment.    

Fight HIV/AIDS

Children and adolescents and their families, must be protected from the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS.

Stop Harming and Exploiting Children

The violence and abuse that children suffer must be stopped now. And the sexual and economic exploitation of children must also end.

Listen to Children

Everyone must  respect the right of children and young people to express themselves and to participate in decisions that affect them, consistent with their evolving capabilities.  And we must listen and act.

Educate Every Children

All girls and boys must receive a compulsary, free primary education of good quality.

Protect Children from War

All girls and boys must be protected from the horrors of armed conflict

Protect the Earth for Children

There must be an urgent steps by everyone of us - including governments, civil society and the private sector - to assure the well-being and security of future generations by safeguarding the environment at global, national and local levels.

Fight Poverty: Invest in Children

Because children suffer the most from poverty, the fight against it must begin with them. This includes investing in social services that benefit the poorest children and their families, such as basic health care and primary education. At the same time, the well-being of children must be a priority objective of debt relief programmes, development assistance and government spending.

 

Empowering Women for Reproductive Health

Education  had been said to be the escape hatch from poverty and the lack of choice n one's life.

The 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo recognized this, citing education as one of the enabling conditions that can close the gender gap and empower women.  The other conditions are: economic self-reliance, access to health care, and women's participation in decisions that affect their lives.

The first  State of the Philippine Report (SPPR1) affirmed  that:

educated women are able to respond to opportunities, challenge their traditional roles, change their life circumstances
woman who has her own income, can assert herself in the family and make reproductive decisions, and
woman who is economically independent has "more dignity, self-respect and space to assert her will in reproductive and sexual matters."

Barriers cited by the SPPR1 that keep women from finding much needed family planning support:

inaccesibility to information will enable women to recognize danger or warming signs that indicate pregnancy problems such as high blood pressure and bleeding.
limited resources (including money) also prevents a woman, who may be bound by cultural traditions, from seeking family planning services.
lack of appropriate and accessible facilities with quality services for maternal care (especially in the rural areas, patients resort to self-medication or turn to traditional healers).

Potential interventions cited by the SPPR1 to save lives of women.

training adequately and equip with the capacity of Traditional Birth Attendants ( who attend to many deliveries) to refer complicated cases to doctors and health facilities
improving women's health, nutritional and social status
managing  fertility to cut down maternal deaths
improving the quality and level of education lessens high-risk pregnancies an their complications
educating men as partners in reproductive health, knowing that they exert much influence on decisions regarding health and fertility choices of their spouse.
harnessing  the roles of the civil society in reproductive health programs side by side with the government

 

Upholding Women's Health Through Family Planning

One significant even in August is the observance of the Family Planning Day very August 1.  The  most important reason for the celebration of the Family Planning Day is to promote the importance of family planning as a health intervention intended to safeguard the health of mothers/women and the family as a whole.

Why FP matters?

Family Planning MATTERS because it helps . . .

A.  Saves women's lives

Avoiding all intended pregnancies through widespread use of family planning could prevent maternal deaths
Pregnancy-related deaths remain among the top ten (10) causes of death for Filipino women
Effective contraception prevents unintended pregnancies which are often ended by unsafe abortions

B.  Limit births to the healthiest ages

Childbearing is safer for women between the ages of 20 and 40.
Young women (below 2o yrs, old) who become pregnant are often at risk of obstructed labor if they have not yet grown to their full height or pelvic size.
Young women are also most likely to suffer from eclampsia, which can be life-threatening to mother and baby.
The risk of death is 5 times higher among women ages 40-44 than among those in their 20s

C.  Limit the number of births

Women who give birth four (4) times or more face dramatically higher maternal health risks.
Women who have had at least four (4) births often develop complications during delivery.

D.  Offer women more choices

For women, controlling their own childbearing by using effective FP methods, can open the door to education, employment and community involvement

Challenge to LGUs

          Family Planning Program helps millions of people, providing Reproductive Health Care that saves lives, avoids unintended pregnancies, and offers more choices.  As demand for FP services grows, there is really a need for local governments to support and prioritize Family Planning program to keep pace with the increasing demand.  Allocating resources (manpower, money, machine) for the program is the most important step to make.

 

Enhancing a New Role for Men as Partners for Women Empowerment

Women's empowerment begins in the household with equity, autonomy and respect. Achieving equality between men and women in the family is the foundation on which empowerment in other areas is based.

The freedom to make reproductive choices is a cornerstone of women's empowerment.  It is the first of women's freedoms and the one from which all others flow. An essential  part of women's empowerment is better reproductive health, including access to modern, safe, affordable and effective family planning.

Today, increasing numbers of women are working towards their own empowerment, but they cannot do it alone.  Men's support is essential.  Efforts to increase women's status are unlikely to succeed without it.  because men hold power to influence societal thinking in most parts o the world, they have a key role to play in eliminating inequalities between themselves and women.

Spheres where societal progress can only be achieved if men promotes women's empowerment:

in the home

in reproductive decision-making

in education

in the workplace

in the political, legislative and public policy arenas

Men's role as the "new" father:

is present at the birth of his child

has close relationship with his children

cooperates with his partner

shares in household tasks

Benefits achieved from men's new role in fathering their children:

Economic benefits - because it reduces the dependency on women and at the same time allows more time to be spent by parents on their child's development.
Social benefits - because  children's emotional and social well-being and self-esteem are enhanced, and the likelihood of behavioral problems falls.

Interventions to enhance more the new role of men. . . .

Policy makers to provide policies and programmed that promote   realistic and fair balance of responsibility for children between men and women.     
Family policy should assist individuals in fulfilling parental functions without being rigidly attached to specific family forms, which change over time.     

"Men must come to recognize that women's empowerment is not a threat but rather a way to improve families and societies"

 

Violence Against Women - A Disaster That Men Can Prevent

        Violence against women and   girls is a major health and human rights concern.  Women can experience physical or mental abuse throughout their lifecycle - in infancy, childhood and/or adolescence, or during adulthood or older age.  While violence has severe health consequences for the affected, it is a social problem that warrants an immediate coordinated response from multiple sectors.

        Violence  against women includes physical, psychological, sexual and economic abuse.  It is often known ads "gender-based" violence because it evolves in part  from women's subordinate status in society.

Most studies on violence against women indicate that:

The  perpetrators of violence against women are almost exclusively men;
Women are at greater risk of violence from en they know;
Women and girls are the most frequent victims of violence within the family and between intimate partners;
Physical abuse in intimate relationships is almost always accompanied by severe psychological and verbal abuse;
Social institutions put in place to protect citizens too often blame or ignore battered women.

Consistent list of events that are said to "trigger" violence, include:

Wife not obeying husband
Wife answers back or provokes
Wife fails to care adequately for the children and home
Wife questions husband about money or girlfriends
Wife refuses  to have sex thus husband suspects her for adultery

Warning signs of a violent male partner:

Foul or low level tempered and moody
Excessively jealous/possessive and strict
Constantly suspicious
Verbally abusive
Weird
Overlay obliging ways
Typically delinquent
Fond of vices (alcohol user, drug addict, notorious, playboy, trouble maker, etc.)

How can men prevent violent?

Men themselves must examine and change their behaviors that may make them react violently.
Men as fathers, must teach their sons to respect and care for women/girls and treat them as equals.
Men must participate and be informed in he health care issues of their children and their partners.
Couple or spousal communication can be a crucial step to prevent violence. Both partners must know and understand each other's attitudes; must be genuinely friendly and honest to discuss issues concerning both of them.

Action agenda:

Government and non-government agencies must reachout to men to be involved in strategic gender-based programs.
Communication can help promote equity between partners.  Messages in the mass media can address men's specific concerns and given men positive models to follow.

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