Lack of sex ed makes youth easy targets for 'predators' – abuse survivors

MANILA, Philippines — Campus safety advocates who track sexual harassment cases in schools warn that opposing comprehensive sexuality education with the goal of "protecting children's innocence" actually leaves students more vulnerable to abuse. 

Enough is Enough — a group formed in 2022 by victim-survivors of sexual abuse in schools — called the public outcry against Senate Bill 1979 or the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Bill "deeply concerning and recklessly harmful," especially for teenagers who lack awareness about sexual and reproductive health.

"We find the ongoing disinformation campaign against SB 1979 pushed by former [Chief Justice Lourdes Sereno] and conservative camps deeply concerning and recklessly harmful, especially towards adolescents," the group's spokesperson, Kate Leonor, told Philstar.com in a message. 

The group said it was "infuriated" by the "indifference" of those opposing the bill as gaps in sex education have made students less aware of how they can be sexually taken advantage of. 

"Under the guise of protecting children’s innocence, they misconstrue the contents of SB 1979 and adamantly reject any change to the status quo consequently promoting ignorance and abuse," Leonor said.

For over a week, Sereno and family rights group "Project Dalisay" have led an online campaign to junk the Senate bill based on their interpretation that it would, inadvertently, teach explicit sexual content to children due to the recommendation of international groups.

In particular, critics have claimed that UNESCO and World Health Organization guidelines on comprehensive sex education have and will promote childhood masturbation as normal behavior among kids under 4. 

These claims had prompted President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to oppose the bill, saying he would veto the measure if it is passed "in that form."

RELATED: What Philippine schools actually teach about sexuality

DepEd and Sen. Risa Hontiveros, author of the bill, have debunked these in separate statements. In a briefer published last week, the department said it does not follow international standards "in total" and that its curriculum for comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) has been "tailored... to fit local contexts." 

According to Enough is Enough, the current gaps in sex education make students more vulnerable to predators. 

"Minors continue to be sexually harassed and abused even in supposedly safe spaces such as at home and in their respective schools," Leonor said.

"The present education system's insufficiency to properly inform, educate, and empower young people about their sexuality is taken advantage of by sexual predators," the group added.

The advocates expressed particular concern over President Marcos' recent statements that they say reflect outdated approaches to sex education. 

The president's "fixation on the version of sex education 'during his time' is a grim message to victims and advocates," Leonor said, arguing that such dated approaches "gave rise to the present problems and issues we face today."

Rights watchdog Human Rights Watch echoed these concerns, saying the spread of misinformation about the bill "will harm children."  

"The bill is a long overdue piece of legislation that aims to protect children from unwanted teen pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, and sexual abuse by equipping them with the right, age-appropriate education about their sexuality," HRW senior researcher Carlos Conde said.

The United Nations has also called on the public to verify information on CSE, which DepEd rolled out in 2018. 

"Research shows that too many young people still make the transition from childhood to adulthood receiving inaccurate or incomplete information about sexual and reproductive health, leaving them vulnerable to coercion, sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancy," the UN said in a statement.

Conde called on the president to "correct his mistaken statement and continue his support for the program," noting that he had previously backed the measure before recent controversial claims about its content.