Inclusive Education
For All!

Inclusive Education as Lifeline of Filipino Youth

Filipino LGBTIQ+ youth continue to face bullying, discrimination, and violence in schools across the Philippines (Human Rights Watch, 2017). Although protective measures such as the Department of Education’s 2012 Child Protection Policy and the 2013 Anti-Bullying Law were introduced to safeguard learners, these systems remain insufficient. Recent data show that more than 40% of learners aged 13–17 still report experiencing bullying in school within a year (UNESCO, 2023). 

These experiences contribute to minority stress among LGBTIQ+ youth, an added layer of chronic stress arising from stigma, prejudice, and discrimination (Meyer, 2003). Minority stress has been shown to significantly increase the risk of suicide among LGBTQ+ individuals, regardless of other factors such as age, family background, or pre-existing mental health conditions (Almeida et al., 2009; Haas et al., 2011, as cited in The Trevor Project, 2024). Evidence from the Philippines echoes this trend: Alibudbud (2023) notes that LGBTQ+ Filipinos exhibit higher rates of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, depression, and stress compared to their heterosexual peers. Consistently, discrimination emerges as a central and persistent driver of these mental health disparities. These mental health disparities are particularly pronounced among SOGIESC-diverse students, who have been found to exhibit higher rates of depression than their heterosexual classmates (Alibudbud, 2021).