Child rights advocates praised the recent resolutions of the National Youth Commission (NYC) that aim to strengthen support against teenage pregnancy and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
In a statement sent to the DAILY TRIBUNE, the Child Rights Network (CRN) emphasized the importance of including youth voices in shaping policies that impact their future, expressing full support for the NYC’s move.
"As the NYC has said, it is also important to strengthen access to youth-friendly reproductive health services and youth participation in the development of policies, not just comprehensive sexuality education," the CRN said.
"These are in the government's Comprehensive Action Plan to Prevent Adolescent Pregnancies, which Senate Bill 1979 or the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Bill will strengthen and fund," the group added.
The CRN also expressed hope that more legislators and public officials will listen to the youth, "who will be affected the most by these issues."
The NYC resolution, sponsored by Commissioner Bianca Patrice Go, supports the enhancement of Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE), improved access to youth-friendly reproductive health services, and the active involvement of youth in policy-making processes.
The Teen Pregnancy Prevention Bill was passed by the House of Representatives on 5 September 2023, with 232 votes in favor, none against, and no abstentions. However, in the Senate, the bill has stalled since August 2024, still in the period of interpellation with no significant progress since.