Youth-led organizations in the Philippines coacted and launched a 10-point electoral agenda for children and young women in the country through a campaign called HIJAlalan 2022: Tungo sa Pamahalaang Makabata’t Makababae on Thursday, Feb. 24.
Among the youth organizations who participated were the Center for Youth Advocacy and Networking (CYAN), Pambansang Koalisyon ng mga Kababaihan sa Kanayunan (PKKK) Youth, Plan International Philippines’ Girls Get Equal campaign, Youth Reporters, She Decides Philippines, and Youth Peer Education Network (Y-PEER) Pilipinas.
Other 35 youth-led organizations in the country also participated in crafting the HIJAlalan 2022 campaign.
Meanwhile, during its launch, the organizations presented an electoral agenda covering issues on the standard of living, safe spaces, universal and holistic healthcare, sexual and reproductive health and rights, quality education, political education, and territorial justice. The said electoral agenda aims to ensure that the rights and needs of children, youth, and girls will be prioritized by every politician's plan of action.
They likewise stressed the following demands for the betterment of girls and young women’s rights: comprehensive, age-appropriate, and culture-sensitive sexual education for all sexes; decent jobs and livelihood opportunities for all; improved disaster response by establishing a safe evacuation space and provision of basic needs; enhanced professional services to address the needs of Filipinos, especially in rural areas; and improved family planning and parenthood education.
Moreover, they also raised concerns and demands to protect the public and digital space from all forms of discrimination and violence; enhanced access to quality education; updated laws for preventing, detecting, and responding to domestic abuse; strengthened actions to combat child labor; and to keep elections peaceful by preventing the exploitation of young people.
“Itaas natin ang ating mga diskusyon tungkol sa mga karapatan ng mga batang babae sa lipunan. Hindi kami nabibigyan ng sapat na plataporma para ibahagi ang aming mga karanasan at opinyon. Kausapin natin ang mga batang babae sa ating mga bahay at komunidad (Let us raise our discussions about the rights of girls. We are not given enough platform to share our experiences and opinions. Let us talk to the girls and at home and in our society),” said Plan International’s Girls Get Equal campaign.