The Filipino Youth Today

• According to the 1995 NSO survey, children 0-17 years old, comprise approximately 41% of the total Philippine population of 68M.
  

• Many of the 1.6M illiterate children with ages at least 10 years old are streetchildren, child laborers, victims of armed conflict and natural disasters, and children of indigenous peoples.
  

• In a study conducted in 1994, there are 2.75 M young smokers and 4.7 drinkers.

• The most critical period affecting a person's development is the preschool period (0-6 years). This age group comprised 11,639,775 or 10% of the Philippine's total population of 60.7 years in 1990.

• Children 13-18 years old are found to be the most susceptible victims of sexual abuse accounting for half of the reported cases throughout the regions, followed by children, 7-12 years old.

• The July 1995 survey of the National Statistics Office (NSO) reports that there were 3.7 M working children. 70% is engaged in fishing, agriculture and forestry; 24% work in services and sales; and 5% work in industries.

• The same survey reveals that nearly 1.3 M girl children work, making up nearly 1/3 of the child labor force.

• As of December 1996, there were a total of 1,156 HIV seropositives reported to the national AIDS Registry. Of this, 295 are classified full-blown AIDS and about 154 have died.