Latest news with #reproductive health
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Filipinos push for sex education as teen births, HIV cases rise but is Philippines ready?
Almost three in four Filipinos believe that schools should teach children about sex and reproductive health, a new survey has shown – a marked shift in public sentiment that advocates say underscores the urgency of combating disinformation and religious resistance as teen pregnancies and HIV cases surge in the Philippines In the nationwide survey conducted in March, 73 per cent of respondents agreed it was important to teach 'concepts of sexuality, sexual health and family planning in schools in an age-appropriate and culturally sensitive manner to help students make responsible and informed choices'. Just 13 per cent disagreed and 14 per cent were undecided. The results, released last week, suggest a growing openness among Filipinos to comprehensive sexuality education, despite persistent opposition from religious groups and conservative lawmakers in the Catholic-majority nation. Commissioned by the Philippine Legislators' Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD) and conducted by Pulse Asia, the survey comes amid rising concern over teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority shows that births among girls aged 10 to 14 rose from 2,411 in 2019 to 3,343 last year. Of these, only 22 babies were fathered by boys of the same age, with the rest – more than 99 per cent – attributed to older men. A patient waits in line at a social hygiene clinic in Quezon City, Metro Manila. Photo: AFP HIV cases in the Philippines have also skyrocketed by 550 per cent from 4,400 in 2010 to 29,600 in 2024, with 252,800 Filipinos estimated to be living with HIV in 2025, according to the World Health Organization.
CBC
09-07-2025
- Health
- CBC
Haudenosaunee women are reclaiming traditional teachings around their periods
Social Sharing Haudenosaunee women are learning traditional "moon time" teachings so their daughters can approach their menstrual cycle with support instead of stigma. Prompted by a need for increased health support and education in her community as well as her own personal struggles with her moon time, Sateiokwen Bucktooth started Snipe Clan Botanicals in 2018 and is sharing her knowledge by providing workshops. Bucktooth is a traditional ecological knowledge teacher from Akwesasne Mohawk Territory, on the Ontario-Quebec-New York state border. "I had a really rough moon time every month," she said. "It was pretty uncomfortable and it affected my quality of life so I started really delving into what types of plants I can use to help support my reproductive health." She said raspberry leaf, stinging nettle, chamomile, hibiscus and yarrow are her go-to herbs to help to ease menstrual symptoms. In addition to education, engaging youth through activities like botanical scavenger hunts, Bucktooth said her workshops normalize talking about reproductive health so these types of conversations can become more common. She said people who menstruate who learn to better understand their bodies can then advocate for their own health at the doctor's office, for example. "Most times it's the moms who are willing to share because the young girls are still a little bit uncomfortable talking about the details of a menstrual cycle," she said. "I like to bring that up so it becomes almost normal for us to discuss these things out in the open and not that it's a dark, bloody secret that we can't really share." Bucktooth said the response so far has been great and there's requests for additional workshops that follow the whole journey of reproductive health from menarche into perimenopause and menopause. Facilitates mother-daughter talks Steevi King brought her daughter Kanekanoron Lazore, 12, to a workshop she helped organize in Akwesasne last year. She said it provided a space for mothers and daughters to discuss and celebrate reproductive health through Haudenosaunee teachings. "As a mom, I want to give the things that I didn't get when I was her age," King said. "I kind of just had my mom and my aunties there to help guide me and nobody talked about these things and it was almost kind of like shame behind it. My moon time was shameful." King said she didn't want her daughter to feel that way and wanted her to feel guided through this sacred time in her life. "I just wanted her to love her body. I wanted her to not be blindsided by it," King said. She said the workshop made it easier for them to talk about it without feeling uncomfortable. King said she's also empowering herself by relearning these teachings. "We have people who are showing us the way and bringing back [teachings] and putting that love and that empowerment onto our young girls and even women my age," she said. Lazore said Bucktooth provided them with little packets of herbs and taught them how to prepare teas for their moon time. Although she hasn't had her first period yet, she said she feels more prepared and comfortable talking about it now. "It definitely does make me feel, like, weird about it but it's all right because it's how Shonkwaia'tíson [Creator] made us," she said.
