Dissemination Forum
20 November 2025
Pilar Herrera Hall, Palma Hall, UP Diliman
PRESS RELEASE
For out-of-school youth, learning sessions on comprehensive sexuality education offer a chance to transform their lives
The implementation research on the delivery of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) learning sessions for out-of-school (OOS) young girls and young transgender people involved in sex work showed that properly planned, designed, and executed learning programs can bring about positive outcomes in young people’s lives. The program, known as BESHIE Learning Sessions, was implemented by SM-ZOTO, a community-based organization serving the Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, and Valenzuela (CAMANAVA) area.
Conducted by the Demographic Research and Development Foundation, Inc. (DRDF, Inc.), the study involved interviews with program management, facilitators, and beneficiaries, session observations, and a review of curriculum and workplan documents between December 2024 to June 2025.
The study found that the program effectively equipped facilitators to deliver sensitive CSE topics and improved the knowledge and attitudes of beneficiaries, but faced challenges due to logistics and social norms.
Not just about sexuality
The CSE curriculum includes 10 learning modules on topics dealing with relationships, sexual and reproductive health (SRH), and human body and development. The program went beyond CSE and included teaching life skills such as financial literacy, which the beneficiaries appreciated and cited as very relevant to their conditions as members of the urban poor community.
The holistic approach was echoed by a member of the program management team. “You have to contextualize [the program] to the whole picture. So, when it comes to reproductive health, it is also connected to housing, health, and gender.”
Local policies, including the SOGIE Equality Bill and the Magna Carta of Women, also informed the lessons on human rights, gender and sexuality, and gender-based violence.
The intersecting burdens of being out of school youth
Since its first year of implementation in 2021, the program has engaged participants from the urban poor communities who were out of school and at heightened risk of harmful sexual behavior.
There are more than 11 million children and youth in the country who do not attend school, about one-fourth of the total household population aged five to 24 years. With limited access to either formal education or employment, these young people often resort to other ways of earning income – some of which can be harmful and risky.
More than 40 out-of-school youth beneficiaries interviewed for the study were engaged in high-risk sexual activity, making them especially vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission. They also reported experiencing or witnessing discrimination due to their age, sexuality or socioeconomic status. This is especially concerning due to the rising under-15 pregnancies and the HIV epidemic in the Philippines.
The CSE sessions provided an avenue for young people to discuss sexual and reproductive health and other aspects of their social life without fearing discrimination.
Persistent knowledge gaps in sexual and reproductive health
While the program succeeded in improving the knowledge and attitudes of the beneficiaries toward SRH, some myths and misconceptions persisted.
Despite overall positive statements on the CSE program, some beneficiaries still showed traditional views on gender roles. Men were still seen as the head of the household, and women as responsible for domestic tasks. Although there was a partial shift toward more open attitudes towards sexuality and sexual behavior, negative views on masturbation persisted.
The high baseline knowledge of the beneficiaries of contraceptive methods and STI transmission routes and symptoms was promising, but gaps remained in vertical transmission (mother-to-child) and recognition of STI symptoms.
Recommendations for scaling up
Now in its fifth year of implementation, the program is part of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Global Program on OOS CSE along with 12 other countries.
As noted by the implementation research, the CSE program can be improved by codifying selection criteria for facilitators, extending training and ongoing support mechanisms, and updating learning modules to be more relevant to the needs of OOS youth.
In 2024, UNFPA launched an OOS CSE Partnership Forum comprising 16 organizations working on sexual and reproductive health. Civil society organizations interested in piloting similar CSE initiatives may learn from the study for best practices and lessons from the program.
Toward a stronger national framework for CSE
Despite rising under-15 pregnancies and the HIV epidemic, CSE remains a contentious term in the Philippines owing to the social and religious norms in the country. In September 2025, the Department of Education adopted “Reproductive Health Education,” which repealed the earlier 2018 memorandum establishing the CSE framework. While program shortcomings can be addressed within the internal workplan and through dialogue with other CSOs engaged in similar efforts, there are gaps that only a robust national-level CSE implementation framework could address.
The needs of the LGBTQ+ community, for instance, are not yet accounted for in such policies, as emphasis remains drawn on values, family planning, and family formation. Findings from the 2021 Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality Survey (YAFS) indicate that more youth aged 15 to 24 identify as gay or bisexual than in previous decades, underscoring the urgency of inclusive SRH frameworks. The same survey also indicates the youth’s inconsistent knowledge about family planning and reproductive health, with only one in eight youth discussing sex and reproduction with parents or guardians.
Given national SRH shortcomings, community-led CSE initiatives, such as the program evaluated in this study, ensure that no young person, regardless of their status or identity, will be left behind.
