Learning Brief – Rights at Risk: Understanding Gender and Power Relations impacting girls and young women Caloocan, Malabon and Navotas Cities and Indigenous Communities in Sarangani (Philippines, 2025)

Adolescent pregnancy and child, early, and forced marriage remain critical gender and public health challenges in the Philippines, disproportionately affecting girls in urban poor and indigenous communities. This Gender and Power (GAP) study by Save the Children Philippines explores the intersecting social, cultural, political, and economic factors influencing unintended adolescent pregnancies (UAP) and child, early, and forced marriages and unions (CEFMU) in Caloocan, Malabon, and Navotas (CaMaNa) Cities and Sarangani Province. Employing a mixed-methods approach with 257 participants, the research reveals how entrenched gender norms, limited access to sexuality education, economic insecurity, and weak governance perpetuate gender inequality and girls’ disempowerment. Findings call for comprehensive sexuality education, gender-responsive governance, community engagement, and economic empowerment programs to uphold adolescent girls’ rights, delay early marriage, and prevent teenage pregnancy. These insights contribute to the growing body of evidence supporting gender equality, adolescent reproductive health, and girls’ empowerment in the Philippines.