Cheyenne Suarez

It’s back to school season, but not for all girls

Article (news)

Aneth Ng-Lim

Millions of students are returning to school this June, yet there are countless girls across the country who will be held back.  One of the reasons is the lack of menstrual pads.According to the World Bank, 8 percent of girls in the Philippines reported skipping school because of menstruation. Some miss classes due to severe menstrual pain, others from lack of access to menstrual products, and then there’s the fear of bullying or discrimination associated with periods. Findings from the Sang pour Sang Project revealed that 96% of menstruators in the Philippines have experienced at least one form of menstrual discrimination, including teasing, exclusion, and stigma related to menstruation.<div>Girls are missing school because of their periods</div>During a stakeholder consultation for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur, young girls opened up about their challenges.&quot;During my menstrual period, I often experienced cramps and mood changes that affected how I interacted with my classmates. Because many students, especially boys, did not understand what girls go through during menstruation, misunderstandings sometimes happened and made school more difficult,” shared Cielo from Northern Samar.The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN&#x27;s lead sexual and reproductive health agency, noted that shame, stigma, and misinformation surrounding periods can discourage girls from asking for help, accessing proper menstrual products, and fully participating in school activities. Girls from remote and disadvantaged communities, including those with disabilities, also shared that menstruation often causes anxiety, shame, and discomfort, especially in schools with inadequate facilities and support.In the same consultation, Salma from Maguindanao del Sur and an adult champion for girls&#x27; menstrual health, reported that &quot;growing up, access to sanitary pads was not always easy. During times of conflict and emergencies, even families with money sometimes could not find menstrual products because supplies were unavailable. For girls who had no resources at all, the challenge was even greater. Missing school or worrying about managing menstruation with dignity became a reality for many of us.”<div>Can an app help solve the problem?</div>Plan International Pilipinas, a non-profit focused on girls’ development, is offering a solution with the Oky Period Tracker App.In partnership with UNICEF and the Philippine Government, this girl co-created digital tool provides reliable menstrual health information and personalized cycle tracking. Since its launch, the app has reached over 187,000 registered users in the Philippines, with half of online users remaining consistently active. An independent assessment by BBC Media Action found that 18 out of 24 adolescent girls interviewed in the Philippines credited the app with significantly improving their understanding of menstrual health and bodily changes — and that nearly two-thirds reported feeling more open and less embarrassed about their periods. The app has also been used in school integration sessions to engage adolescent boys, with educators observing reduced period-related bullying and greater empathy toward female peers.“Menstrual health is not just a hygiene issue — it is an education issue,” said Pebbles Sanchez-Ogang, Executive Director of Plan International Pilipinas. “When girls cannot afford menstrual products or are too ashamed to ask for help, they miss class, fall behind, and eventually drop out. We need better facilities, more affordable products, and innovative solutions like the Oky App to equip girls with accurate information and tools to manage their periods with confidence — so that no girl has to choose between her period and her future.”<div>More barriers for young girls</div>Apart from period poverty, Sanchez-Ogang is also sounding the alarm on other barriers including unpaid domestic labor and teenage pregnancy.Plan International’s landmark longitudinal study, Real Choices, Real Lives — which tracked 142 girls across nine countries including the Philippines from birth to age 18 — found that girls spend an average of 5 hours and 15 minutes per day on unpaid domestic work, leaving little time for schoolwork and pushing families to pull girls out of school when that trade-off no longer seems financially justified. Teenage pregnancy also remains a significant barrier to girls’ education. Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority recorded 138,697 live births among females aged 10 to 19 in 2024, including 3,560 cases involving girls aged 10 to 14 — an increase from 3,343 cases in 2023.The underlying conditions are alarming. A 2024 study commissioned with support from Plan International Pilipinas in Occidental Mindoro found that among girls under 15, adolescent pregnancies surged by 35 percent between 2021 and 2022. The same study, drawing on national data, found that 78 percent of sexually active youth reported having unprotected sex during their first sexual encounter — a direct consequence of an information gap so severe that 4 in 10 young people say they have no access to trustworthy sources on sexual health. <div>We need the whole village</div>School work and puberty are hard enough, and when you throw in these barriers for young girls, it paints a heartbreaking picture of how we are failing them.Plan International Pilipinas emphasized that addressing these barriers requires coordinated action from schools, communities, government agencies, families, and civil society organizations. It is calling on the public to #StandwithGirls by supporting efforts that break down systemic barriers and ensure every girl can stay in school and reach her full potential.Founded in 1961, Plan International Pilipinas is a girls’ and child rights organization working to advance children’s rights and equality for girls through programs focused on education, health, protection, youth leadership, and humanitarian response.

The UN's lead sexual and reproductive health agency noted that shame, stigma, and misinformation surrounding periods can discourage girls from asking for help.

The UN's lead sexual and reproductive health agency noted that shame, stigma, and misinformation surrounding periods can discourage girls from asking for help.