What Is Sex Education Like In Thailand?

[canadiangirl]

Hey guys,

does anyone know (maybe some of our Thai members, or some of the teaching folk) if sex ed is taught in Thai schools? (And nope, this is not because I'm hoping to teach it! ) This is somewhat related to another topic on the forum, about a Thai wife who was convicted of infecting her Canadian husband with HIV. I was wondering what kind of sex ed Thai kids get, if any? Here it's mostly centered around "don't get a horrible disease" and "here's a chart of your body parts". In the States, I hear it's degenerated to "abstinence is the only way!" for sex ed in many public schools -- sad. But what about Thailand?

I know that a few years ago there was a big push to get all the prostitutes to use condoms, and I think there's some education that goes on towards men who have sex with men, but what about your run-of-the-mill person?

[qwertz]

Cg, LOS is not as prudish over sex education as some European lands.

As for sex ed. in the schools though, it's probably not covered any better than here in Europe.

But there are enough associations, organisations and clinics that offer detailed advice.

The girls who don't take advantage of the available services are mostly full time or casual sex workers who don't want or need this kind of advice.

Add to that the low grade education that children get out in the provinces and I'm only surprised that they know as much as they do.

[britmaveric]

:D :D

Sex Ed in Thailand????

Seriously doubt much goes on!!!

[teacup]

I'm a St.John alumni

Nope no sex ed class during my time many moons ago. We had to learn all about the twig and the raisins from only few pages in our biology book with amazement and many giggles

[farang prince]

:D :D

Sex Ed in Thailand????

Seriously doubt much goes on!!!

It is practiced round the clock in Thailand.

Edited July 11, 2007 by farang prince

[true blue]

they dont need it can teach you all about it and more for a price of course

[canadiangirl]

I'm a St.John alumni

Nope no sex ed class during my time many moons ago. We had to learn all about the twig and the raisins from only few pages in our biology book with amazement and many giggles

Hi teacup!

I remember sex ed being very embarrassing too! The teacher paired us two-by-two, and I ended up with the boy I had a crush on, filling out a chart of the female anatomy. As a ten year old girl, I was mortified!

Do Thai teenagers learn to wear condoms, prevent HIV, etc, from their friends, or is it something no one talks about?

[slapout]

I saw in Thai news a while back that the monks were being trained??? to give sex education classes. I think training may be wasted on a few of them if you can believe past news reports.

[phazey]

What Is Sex Education Like In Thailand?

I've certainly learnt a lot.

[donna]

apparently they do teach it but i seriously doubt how well. a friend of mine has a 12 year old daughter in bangkok. her 13 year old friend has just been knocked up by some kid in school. and, yes, she is keeping the baby.

a friend of mine (adult - about 40 yrs old) who i thought was a relatively well educated woman once told me 'donna, its harder for a woman to get AIDS as we change our blood every month'.

go figure.

[Prakanong]

apparently they do teach it but i seriously doubt how well. a friend of mine has a 12 year old daughter in bangkok. her 13 year old friend has just been knocked up by some kid in school. and, yes, she is keeping the baby.

a friend of mine (adult - about 40 yrs old) who i thought was a relatively well educated woman once told me 'donna, its harder for a woman to get AIDS as we change our blood every month'.

go figure.

I have also heard some strange theories such as your AIDS one.

I do not think there is much in the way of sex education at all.

Dr Meechai was the guy a few years ago but it seems to have trailed off now.

[RueFang]

My husband just informed me he was taught sex ed at school (Thai) but only for a couple of lessons and not very extensive...they learned about STDs and how girls get pregnant and human anatomy. Even though I had sex education classes at school, you mostly learn from talking with your siblings, parents or friends rather than in the classroom and Thai's predominantly don't talk about stuff like this with family, especially parents. My husband laughed (and looked very shocked ) when I asked if his parents had ever talked to him about sex....NEVER in a million years. I think there's a common thought that "It'll never happen to me" which comes from not enough education about the realities of HIV, pregnancy, etc.

[blizzard]

a cupple of years ago sex ed was taught on the public bus system......lol.

[Jet Gorgon]

Donna's got it right. It's pan-Asia. AIDS comes from Westerners, not us. Sex ed would be Japanese manga, whispers with friends, and the first fumble with a boy/girl. Told Asian female friends I go for a regular pap smear and they were horrified: "That's for sex trade workers."

In Asia, you either have a baby or have an abortion; get sick and they give you a hysterectomy or cut your boobs off. That's general Asian sex ed. You want to tell me I'm wrong, you tell me how many Asian women go for regular gyno checks, unless they miss their periods. NONE.

[donna]

aint that the truth jet.

a friend of mine (thai) found a lump in her breast. i told her that she must run off to the doc to get it checked but she was 'shy because my breasts look like too fried eggs'.

amazing thailand.

but when it comes to gyno checks, i think i know only a small handful of women who go for regular checks. most common excuse? 'we are thai, we are shy'.

pahleeeease!

[Prakanong]

"Told Asian female friends I go for a regular pap smear and they were horrified: "That's for sex trade workers."

With the Cervical Cancer vaccine the same ishapening though.

As for a pap smear and sex trade workers - I bet the % who go for one is below 1%.

[a2396]

Low level awareness and knowledge about sex, unless they have been trained well in the "entertainment" industry. The amount of prudishness here is surprising given the extent of the sex for hire business. As for the "normal" girls, under 25 I think are much more liberated & a bit more free thinking, 25-35 borderline, over 35 likely your Grandmother's old-maid auntie. One of them told me that Thai ladies (proper ones I suppose) don't do sex in the daytime, don't do oral sex, don't do mouth kissing, don't have sex before marriage, etc, etc. A total crock from what I see with Thai to Thai relationships.

[PlainJane]

As an Asian educated in Christian Schools, I never had any sex education. I mostly learned about sex from my girl peers and the girl talks we had.

I'm glad I grew-up OK and didn't contracted anything til now. My sex life seems OK and I seem to be pretty normal in bed, maybe just a little too enthusiastic.

Still, sex education would have been a big helped and an eye-opener for me whilst growing up.

[a2396]

As an Asian educated in Christian Schools, I never had any sex education. I mostly learned about sex from my girl peers and the girl talks we had.

I'm glad I grew-up OK and didn't contracted anything til now. My sex life seems OK and I seem to be pretty normal in bed, maybe just a little too enthusiastic.

Still, sex education would have been a big helped and an eye-opener for me whilst growing up.

Good Christians believe sex is only for making babies, not for fun. I hope your Christian education didn't leave you to stifled. In fairness, the Bhuddist culture here is not very open minded either. Glad you have some enthusiasim.

[Jet Gorgon]

"Told Asian female friends I go for a regular pap smear and they were horrified: "That's for sex trade workers."

With the Cervical Cancer vaccine the same ishapening though.

As for a pap smear and sex trade workers - I bet the % who go for one is below 1%.

I didn't say sex trade workers went for exams. The horror these girls imagine is the sex trade stigma attached to having a vaginal checkup -- ie, if you need to do that, you must be a whore.. You ever been for a pap in Asia, Prakanong? I bet not. Strip, spread your legs, towel tossed over your face and the door to the hall left open so everyone can see your begonias until the doctor comes in and treats you like a leprous dog. No wonder Asian ladies don't go for checkups until they're almost dying.

[PeaceBlondie]

My mate from London taught science only, in English, to matayom 1 (12 and 13 year old pubescent Thais). The biology and anatomy lessons got around to human reproduction, complete with a cutaway line drawing of a man with his penis inside the woman's vagina. Thai textbook. I'll bet they listened attentively, and that my mate (whose Thai wife was pregnant at the time) told them enough truth, more than a Thai lady teacher might have. But education in Thailand, 90% of the time, is so dysmally inadequate that I doubt most students learn ten percent of what they need to know about having sex, using condoms, going to the doctor for possible STD's, etc. It reminds me of coming of age in America, in the puritanical suburbs, in the 1950's. Same ignorance, but I'm convinced the Thai teens are far more active than we were, but maybe less than my crazy kids were. The information is available like it never was in our childhoods, but I doubt it's being taught right.

[teacup]

I'm a St.John alumni

Nope no sex ed class during my time many moons ago. We had to learn all about the twig and the raisins from only few pages in our biology book with amazement and many giggles

Hi teacup!

I remember sex ed being very embarrassing too! The teacher paired us two-by-two, and I ended up with the boy I had a crush on, filling out a chart of the female anatomy. As a ten year old girl, I was mortified!

Do Thai teenagers learn to wear condoms, prevent HIV, etc, from their friends, or is it something no one talks about?

Luckily I was in all girl school up to M3 then left to the US for a high school part, so not too “hot” or too embarrassing among us girlfriends – we only had to loosen a few buttons only…hehe.

There wasn’t much to remember anyway. The teacher just taught us mostly very basic about diseases, pregnancy, making baby, and human anatomy from 2D pics and a diagram, you know….the one that looks like Devinci drawing with arms and legs spread. No live hansum model at that time…too bad. May be the time has changed now, who knows. There were certainly no teaching about the responsibility or liability part unlike what I had learnt during my 11th grade sex ed class in the US.

Oi…. in thailand when I was growing up - up to M3 anyway - no one talks about sex at school, not even among my friends, and certainly not at home! I learnt all about that mostly from pics and magazines when taking sneak peeks behind both of my older brothers’ headboard! Some are very very naughty, and will probably make a few farangs here blushed as well! Don't ask me where did they get those from, I have no clue

[canadiangirl]

My mate from London taught science only, in English, to matayom 1 (12 and 13 year old pubescent Thais). The biology and anatomy lessons got around to human reproduction, complete with a cutaway line drawing of a man with his penis inside the woman's vagina. Thai textbook. I'll bet they listened attentively, and that my mate (whose Thai wife was pregnant at the time) told them enough truth, more than a Thai lady teacher might have. But education in Thailand, 90% of the time, is so dysmally inadequate that I doubt most students learn ten percent of what they need to know about having sex, using condoms, going to the doctor for possible STD's, etc. It reminds me of coming of age in America, in the puritanical suburbs, in the 1950's. Same ignorance, but I'm convinced the Thai teens are far more active than we were, but maybe less than my crazy kids were. The information is available like it never was in our childhoods, but I doubt it's being taught right.

Peaceblondie,

I had a Thai gay friend who one day said to me: "When it's love, I don't use condom", and I was just speechless. I didn't even know where to begin.

[justagirl]

I vaguely remember sex-ed when I was in high school. One boy sitting behind me whispered, "I feel sorry for you."

The frigging teacher was talking about pregnancy and delivering a baby.

[Prakanong]

"Told Asian female friends I go for a regular pap smear and they were horrified: "That's for sex trade workers."

With the Cervical Cancer vaccine the same ishapening though.

As for a pap smear and sex trade workers - I bet the % who go for one is below 1%.

I didn't say sex trade workers went for exams. The horror these girls imagine is the sex trade stigma attached to having a vaginal checkup -- ie, if you need to do that, you must be a whore.. You ever been for a pap in Asia, Prakanong? I bet not. Strip, spread your legs, towel tossed over your face and the door to the hall left open so everyone can see your begonias until the doctor comes in and treats you like a leprous dog. No wonder Asian ladies don't go for checkups until they're almost dying.

What I am saying is how do these Asian female friends get the idea that PAP smears are for sex trade workers only - only sex trade workers contract HPV right?

I would hardly go for a pap being a male but then again I might like my legs in the air showing my begonias

Cervical Cancer is the second biggest killer of women in Asia so your friends really need to get themselves educated a bit if they think PAP smears are for sex trade workers - its probably a contributary factor why the incidence is so high.

I hope they do not avoid the vaccine for HPV for the same reasons.

My friend and colleague has chosen as her obsetrician the Dr she worked with on a HPV study. I will ask her what she thinks of PAP smears and the whole process in Asia but specifically Thailand.

She will know all about this professionally as a educated Asian woman working in Asia but educated in the west as well as being able to give me a view of her and her friends.

I would do a straw pole about PAP smears at work as well as its a majority of professional Asian women but they might think I am weird - or even more so

Edited July 12, 2007 by Prakanong

[sbk]

off topic inflammatory posts have been deleted. Lets try to keep this civil

[canadiangirl]

off topic inflammatory posts have been deleted. Lets try to keep this civil

thanks sbk. I'm afraid I'm in a bit of a bad mood about idiots today, so I might have gotten carried away as well.

[qwertz]

I got minimal theoretical sex ed. at school

I was taught the practical approach by girls in the neighbourhood.

I suppose things are much the same today.

I think Thailand is catching up when I consider that in my teenage days I could only buy condoms at a pharmacy or a barber shop and found it faintly embarrassing.

Especially the time I bought some for my usual Saturday night foray, went to pick up my date and found her father was the barber who sold me the condoms!

[Jockstar]

Cg, LOS is not as prudish over sex education as some European lands

Do you think so?

[Scott]

At the school where I work, we have a couple of foreign teachers who do a pretty good job of teaching sex education. They aren't shy and it's part of the science curriculum. They don't get into the morals side of it, but are pretty explicit about the biology of human reproduction.

They also cover STD's in detail.

I've been in the classroom while they are teaching and the kids are pretty attentive. They also teach about birth control, condoms etc.

It's not sex ed per se, but there isn't much left to the imagination when they are done.