Advice lacking for sexually active teens

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Advice lacking for sexually active teens

By Pungchumpoo Prasert 
The Nation

 

File photo

 

OF THE 84,578 girls under age 20 who gave birth last year, 2,559 were between 10 and 14, according to Mahidol University’s Centre for Health Policy and Management.

 

The provinces with the highest number of new mums age 15-19 were Prachuap Khiri Khan, Tak, Chon Buri, Rayong, Nakhon Nayok and Samut Sakhon, centre director Dr Wiwat Rojanapithayakorn said yesterday at a National Conference on Healthy Sexuality, which addressed ways to prevent or manage teen pregnancies.

 

Wiwat said premature pregnancy could affect the mother’s physical and mental health and put them at risk of anaemia and premature birth or an unsafe abortion. 

 

Their babies could be underweight and develop more slowly than normal, he warned. 

 

Premature pregnancy also often led to divorce and child abandonment, he said.

 

With access to condoms and morning-after pills still limited in Thailand, students are increasingly having unprotected sex, Wiwat said, citing a survey by the Disease Control Department’s Bureau of Epidemiology. 

 

It found a 44-per-cent increase over the past three years in the number of female students at the “Por Wor Chor” vocational-certificate level who reported having had sex.

 

The rate of condom use was nearly 70 per cent among male students and 66 among females. The bureau reported an increase in sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as syphilis, gonorrhoea and HIV, rising to 161 cases per 100,000 population – a 72-per-cent jump from 96 in 2013, Wiwat said.

 

Representative of the Network for Teen Pregnancy Prevention and Solutions submitted a petition at the conference to the secretary general of the National Health Security Office (NHSO). 

 

Pornpan Thongtanongsak, who runs the online “Love Care Station” advice chatroom, noted that children and youths ages six to 24 had legal access to health and disease-prevention services under the Act for Prevention and Solution of the Adolescent Pregnancy Problem (2016). They can get condoms, “emergency pills” and advice on protection from STDs and premature pregnancy, she said.

 

But many service units were distributing the materials only for “specially organised projects”.

 

“Teens must be allowed access to such services and the NHSO must make it possible and easy to do,” Pornpan said. “Condoms and emergency pills should be provided free of charge and distributed through easy-access outlets such as pharmacies, youth clubs, dormitories and school toilets.

 

“The more we want to prevent premature pregnancy, the easier we should make this. We have to allow access to condoms and emergency pills so those in need can get them in time and conveniently.”

 

The conference ends tomorrow in Nonthaburi.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30363106

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-01-29

[smedly]

36 minutes ago, webfact said:

2,559 were between 10 and 14,

that is shocking 

 

and who else was involved - perhaps that is exactly were the problem actually is

[faraday]

How are access to condoms here limited, they're available very easily?

[Puchaiyank]

Since 2,600 girls became pregnant  between the ages of 10 - 14...does that mean 2,600 Thai men...fathers, uncles, brothers, cousins and neighbors were incarcerated?

[Lungstib]

Sex education, along with road safety education, are two giant holes in Thailands education system. The very things that ultimately destroy their young lives are left unmentioned, not only at school but also at home. What is it that leaves teachers and parents unable or unwilling to prepare their kids for real life? It baffles me.

[kingstonkid]

1 hour ago, Puchaiyank said:

Since 2,600 girls became pregnant  between the ages of 10 - 14...does that mean 2,600 Thai men...fathers, uncles, brothers, cousins and neighbors were incarcerated?

No because it is not the parents or family that is always the father.

 

Forget the emergency pills and condoms.  You can make them as available as you want.

 

The challenge is that peer pressure, boy pressure and being loved pressure are huge in this country.

 

Sex Ed in the classroom with Thai teachers is not going to work well either.  Imagine the old teacher doing memory work about how to have sex or how sex is bad.

 

There needs to be a place that they can go to talk.  Boarding schools need to have teachers actually living on the floor that the girls are on or have them in separate buildings

 

There is a school in LadKrabang that talks about how they have staff living on campus with the kids. The kids are at one end of the school and the staff quarters are at the other.

Bring in the birth control pills and teach the older students age 14-19 about it.  Make it available to the students at a low price or free through REAL female doctors.

 

Let the girls stay in school having to look at a young friend or classmate may make a few think twice. 

 

Mandatory dna checks and either the father or the fathers family have to pay support or get outed at least.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[miamiman123]

I doubt those numbers are correct....likely much much higher than 2500! 

[ChipButty]

Their babies could be underweight and develop more slowly than normal, he warned. 

Thats the reason there is a few brain cells missing also

[ChrisY1]

Placing blame on females is usual practice here.

[leeneeds]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Premature pregnancy also often led to divorce and child abandonment

Married between the age of 10 and 14 not right , really !

[ebean001]

if abortions are not allowed then the poor, uneducated population will grow thus increasing the need for 'welfare'. Many countries are in this situation. The problem is they do not or cannot afford the welfare bill. I think one or the other must be chosen...abortion or increase welfare. Many countries say NO to both thus...you can conclude the results.

 

[HLover]

1 minute ago, ebean001 said:

if abortions are not allowed then the poor, uneducated population will grow thus increasing the need for 'welfare'. Many countries are in this situation. The problem is they do not or cannot afford the welfare bill. I think one or the other must be chosen...abortion or increase welfare. Many countries say NO to both thus...you can conclude the results.

 

Yes, the taxpayers should pay for teens that spread their legs without a thought of the consequences. 

Brilliant.

 

[kannot]

Cripes I read too fast thought it  said  "Advice  looking for sexually active teens"????

[kannot]

27 minutes ago, Lungstib said:

Sex education, along with road safety education, are two giant holes in Thailands education system. The very things that ultimately destroy their young lives are left unmentioned, not only at school but also at home. What is it that leaves teachers and parents unable or unwilling to prepare their kids for real life? It baffles me.

Doesnt matter, the all important marching up and down and  respect to the unmentionable are ALL thats important

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, faraday said:

How are access to condoms here limited, they're available very easily?

Not necessarily true for Thai teen girls and boys, and my adult Thai son and his Thai wife just mentioned many families seriously forbid their teen kids to have condoms. 

[OneMoreFarang]

There is of course also the problem that lots of Thai girls (nearly all of them?) think that having babies is just wonderful. It seems they see babies as kind of toys to play with. And many girls want babies but it seems they never thought about the cost and that it's a full time job to take care of them.

[ChipButty]

I was lead to believe some years ago Incest was rife up in sticky rice land

[fullcave]

Need to the teach them some parenting skills! They don't have any here. TIT

[Denim]

46 minutes ago, Lungstib said:

Sex education, along with road safety education, are two giant holes in Thailands education system. The very things that ultimately destroy their young lives are left unmentioned, not only at school but also at home. What is it that leaves teachers and parents unable or unwilling to prepare their kids for real life? It baffles me.

Don't forget History and Geography while you are looking for giant holes.

As for maths , if I go in a hardware store and buy 2 items they invariably reach for a calculator to work out the total cost, which  comes to the amount I just told them.

[ChipButty]

1 minute ago, Denim said:

Don't forget History and Geography while you are looking for giant holes.

As for maths , if I go in a hardware store and buy 2 items they invariably reach for a calculator to work out the total cost, which  comes to the amount I just told them.

Try subtracting 

[OneMoreFarang]

1 minute ago, Denim said:

As for maths , if I go in a hardware store and buy 2 items they invariably reach for a calculator to work out the total cost, which  comes to the amount I just told them.

And then they look at you with that "how did he do that?" look...

[AGLV0121]

1 hour ago, kingstonkid said:

Mandatory dna checks and either the father or the fathers family have to pay support or get outed at least.

 

Difficult to implement because of costs but yes. Maybe reveals father is member of the family.

[IamNoone88]

That is statutory rape in any other country and requires active policing and prosecution - not sex education.

[PatOngo]

58 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

There is of course also the problem that lots of Thai girls (nearly all of them?) think that having babies is just wonderful. It seems they see babies as kind of toys to play with. And many girls want babies but it seems they never thought about the cost and that it's a full time job to take care of them.

How many of them pass the kids off to mum or grandmother while they pursue their lucrative careers in the big city?

[Nurseynutcase]

56 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

There is of course also the problem that lots of Thai girls (nearly all of them?) think that having babies is just wonderful. It seems they see babies as kind of toys to play with. And many girls want babies but it seems they never thought about the cost and that it's a full time job to take care of them.

Sadly this also is the case in other countries.

I was a nurse practitioner in the UK and I had one patient who was 24 years old and on her seventh pregnancy.  I did my best to try and persaude her not to continue but she was adamant.  The problem as I saw it was that another father (this made four) was involved.  No employment by any of the fathers or herself.  Fully supported by the taxpayers of the UK and an income that was far greater than that of many employed people.

 

People like this have no thought for anyone or anything else.  The whole family were very good at reproducing but all failed to work.  (She was one of seven siblings plus numerous aunts and uncles - none of whom had gainful employment)

 

This is despite me giving out free condoms and the contraceptive pill at any and every opportunity.

 

[Bundooman]

3 hours ago, faraday said:

How are access to condoms here limited, they're available very easily?

Possibly the cost for young teenagers, but I understand that sexually active boys dislike condoms and appear to be successful in persuading their young female partners that they don't want/need/like the things, together with the inconvenience of using one just prior to sex.

 

Another possibility is that for those who use them - the damn things are too big and come off too easily!!

[HLover]

1 hour ago, scorecard said:

Not necessarily true for Thai teen girls and boys, and my adult Thai son and his Thai wife just mentioned many families seriously forbid their teen kids to have condoms. 

Luckily they can purchase the forbidden contraband from ANY 7-11, family mart and most toilets.

Another example of great and realistic parenting.

 

[jingjai9]

I would like to know what position the government is taking on teenage sex. Are they promoting abstinency? Are they saying that teenagers who are sexually active should do A, B, and C? Without an artucultated policy position, how can you educate and strive for a goal?

It is not clear to me how they intend to alleviate this problem.

[Peterw42]

Not sure if anyone has been to the movies in the last couple of years, there is a regular public service advertisement (in Thai) screened before the movie, a Thai girl asking her father for advice about starting to have sex etc, the same shows up on TV sometimes.

There are probably many education/information programs that westerners are blissfully unaware of.

[Vacuum]

1 hour ago, ChrisY1 said:

Placing blame on females is usual practice here.

You suggest they were raped?