Most young Filipino workers are sexually active and have experienced sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy-related health problems as a result of this sexual activity, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said yesterday.
Citing the results of a study titled "Issues Affecting Young Filipino Workers," the TUCP said 30 percent of the country’s young workforce admitted to being sexually active, while 10 percent of single males in the study claim they have casual sex.
The TUCP commissioned the study to help identify the problems affecting the growing number of young workers and come up with appropriate measures to address them.
There are an estimated 6.5 million employed young workers belonging to the 15-24 year age group. Of the total, 5.6 million are employed in small enterprises or in informal family-based activities as unpaid family workers.
Based on this study, 37 percent of young males have had sex with more than one partner — usually with prostitutes — prior to marriage.
The same study revealed that two-thirds of married female and male workers said they had premarital sex with the people they eventually married.
While the study showed increased sexual activity among young workers, it also showed that the level of contraceptive use among these same workers was as low as 20 percent. This low level, the study said, could be the reason why 58 percent of young workers are afflicted with STDs, pregnancy and reproductive health problems.
The same study indicated that only 16 percent of young workers sought medical attention despite the fact that over half of them have experienced serious reproductive health problems.
To address this problem, TUCP spokesman Alex Aguilar said the labor group is conducting seminars on reproductive health that aim to make young workers aware of the consequences of unsafe sex.
"Premarital sexual behavior among the youth is attended by serious risks in terms of unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, including the potentially fatal HIV/AIDS," Aguilar said.
TUCP earlier reported that several of its affiliate unions have successfully forged collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) with employers that include providing free condoms to workers — whether these workers are married or not.