Condom Controversy Sparks Criticism In Thai Society

[Crixus]

Teenage pregnancies is not just Thai problem, but a WORLD PROBLEM! It was not that long ago that the tabloid press in the UK made headlines with a young teenage father. This is unfortunately the way society is now. I do not like it as much as the people who have been posting the comments on here. But I am a father of a teenage son and I have given him the same advice. There is considerable peer pressure within schools about having sex. As parents, we must educate our teenage kids as to the consequences of mot using a condom. Not only will it mess his and her life up, but the serious problems with STD's. Some people need to wake up and smell the coffee, otherwise reality is going to bite them on the arse!

[whybother]

I wonder why they bothered to break this "Special Report" of a dozen sentences into 2 parts? It barely deserved the label of "Special Report".

[junkofdavid2]

It seems she does not understand how society has changed,

Changed from what??

[TheWalkingMan]

Condoms are sold in 7/11 because the foreigners (not the Thai) are buying them because they're mostly well informed and aware, there's also a very nice profit margin as the condoms are sold with 600% margin on it.

I have seen Thai guys buying condoms in 7/11 or Family Mart before.

Thailand should have a slogan contest to promote condom use. I will go first: If you rise, condomise.®

TheWalkingMan

[metisdead]

A denigrating post and reply to that post have been removed.

[Napat9]

Opinions, opinions... Blah blah blah....

My Thai brother in law first had sex at age 14, and as for myself, an American raised in rural Connecticut, I first had sex at 13 with my friend's 16 year old sister. So from my experience a 15 year old armed with a condom is perfectly normal and a loving parental gesture by his mother.

[barryFunk]

I'm no expert like you but could you make your false statement here hard with real numbers please?

I'm no expert either but if you want some hard facts:

http://apps.who.int/globalatlas/predefinedReports/EFS2008/full/EFS2008_TH.pdf

Between 2001 & 2007 the HIV/AIDS infection rate stablised. At between 0.9% and 2.1% estimated to have HIV/AIDS in the key 15 to 49 age group, is substantially lower than many other developing countries (ie: much of sub-Saharan Africa, India, etc..) thanks to an education programme that took place within the sex industry. The sex industry is usually a key conduit of HIV/AIDS spreading and as you may have heard, Thailand has a pretty substantial and established sex industry. Page 4 of the report shows the stablising (and slight decrease) in prevalence in Thailand. The rapid rise in infections in the early 1990s paralleled a trend in sub-Saharan Africa but was brought under control in Thailand in the late 1990s. I think this should be applauded. Things could have been much much worse.

The current rate is still above that in the developed world and more needs to be done - especially with intravenous drug users and (as other have mentioned) domestic transmission from husband to wife.

Obviously even one death due to HIV/AIDS is too many, but Thailand has been fairly successful in public health education around the topic and I think this should be recognised rather than the usually 'Thailand is horrible' argument so often presented here on Thaivisa forums.

[barryFunk]

This is soooo Thailand.

This debate happens all over the world. Think of the Catholic 'ban' on condoms. Ireland had a law until the 1990s banned condom sales to under 18s. This isn't just Thailand....

Meanwhile a rather famous boxer from the Phils wants to ban them completely: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2011/05/pacquiao-would-like-to-ban-condoms-in-philippines/1

Sad really... the Philippines has one of the lowest HIV/AIDS infection rates in SE Asia and Pacquiao wants to be president.

[Jimjim]

It's not a moral issue, it's a health and welfare issue and for the better of society that teenagers know all about condoms and have them.

Too bad many Thais are stuck in the Victorian era which was thrust upon them by outside countries and which they never left once exposed to it.

[fxe1200]

In reference to the prevailing culture (sic) it might be said that there is "more culture in an out of date yoghurt"

I agree with that 100%!

[cowslip]

To get a better perspective on Thailand's record on sexual health, some posters might like to check out the charity behind Cabbages & Condoms - before making any rash statements.

A philistine is someone who want notice culture is he was hit over the head with it - their seem to be a few of them on this thread too!

[cowslip]

to suggest that only farangs buy condoms would suggest two things.......

firstly that the poster hasn't really ever noticed who buys them

and secondly

has never bought and put on a condom from a 7/11!

Edited September 3, 2011 by cowslip

[Markaew]

are we in Thailand here ???????????

What's that supposed to mean? Such discussions are happening in many countries around the world - both developed and developing. If anything, Thailand is at the forefront of forward thinking on safe sex as any visit to a 7/11 or Boots would show you. With the sex industry as it is in Thailand, there could have been a complete disaster with HIV/AIDS infections but this has been kept (mostly) under control thanks to the easy availability of condoms and the education of sex workers.

Sounds like a very forward thinking mother though of course we don't know the full story.

I can answer this one.

It has been stated here, in which I agree, that sex for Thais is as simple as going to the toilet, then why is a condom suddenly a difficult topic?

[scorecard]

are we in Thailand here ???????????

What's that supposed to mean? Such discussions are happening in many countries around the world - both developed and developing. If anything, Thailand is at the forefront of forward thinking on safe sex as any visit to a 7/11 or Boots would show you. With the sex industry as it is in Thailand, there could have been a complete disaster with HIV/AIDS infections but this has been kept (mostly) under control thanks to the easy availability of condoms and the education of sex workers.

Sounds like a very forward thinking mother though of course we don't know the full story.

I'm an old man and I know i'm way out of touch with social attitudes and behaviors and my old friends from home tell me that teenagers are very sexualy active from quite young.

My Thai son (now an adult) also tells me that Thai teenagers are very sexually active from quite young. I just asked him if it's common for 15 years olds to be having sex regularly and his answer was:

- In some stratas of society , 15 / 16 year old boys, in a group, going to a local hole in the wall brothel is not unheard of and is very cheap, often a deal for 5 minutes each for total of 200Baht or something similar.

- 17 /18 years old, quite common, and quite common at this age to also be approaching female high school girls, often with success.

- Condoms - teenagers never bother. And quite a few would be fairly naive about pregnancy risks and disease risks.

[KRS1]

i used sandwich bag once in a pinch.

[anterian]

When I was 13 I carried a condom in my hip pocket, just in case I had the chance to use it. I had stolen it from my father. Two years later I got the opportunity to use it, it split, could this be related to why I have two younger sisters.

[bangkok101]

Every young male thinks about sex and the mother is not conveying the proper message! Carrying condoms does not promote sexual encounters! Condoms prevent the transmission of STD's. Would his mother prefer he have unprotected sex? She is living and thinking in the stone age. These youngsters are going to think about , and have sex....using condoms for protection is only prudent! The mother needs to be brought up to speed with the real world!

Edited September 3, 2011 by bangkok101

[givenall]

It seems she does not understand how society has changed, and lacks the preparedness to deal with it. Head in the sand and haughty ideals won't do when teen pregnancies and STDs are rampant.

Remember that in Thai culture, you can do anything good or bad, but donot show anything that connotes bad, only show the good stuff

[Ulysses G.]

Pro. Sunee is a idiot if she doesn't understand a 15 year old will have sex at the drop of a hat.

Can't argue with that.

[dominique355]

This controversy reminds my of the foolish battle of the Vatican and the Roman Catholic church against the use of condoms, in particular in Africa.

Strange how some people just refuse to see reality and rather prefer to stick to their illusions (or should I say "delusions"), even at the cost of human lives.

[Deez]

are we in Thailand here ???????????

What's that supposed to mean? Such discussions are happening in many countries around the world - both developed and developing. If anything, Thailand is at the forefront of forward thinking on safe sex as any visit to a 7/11 or Boots would show you. With the sex industry as it is in Thailand, there could have been a complete disaster with HIV/AIDS infections but this has been kept (mostly) under control thanks to the easy availability of condoms and the education of sex workers.

Sounds like a very forward thinking mother though of course we don't know the full story.

Thailand "fforward thinking" Are you for real???

[blacksuitdandruff]

I hope the mom gave him the right sized condom.

Or would it better that she didn't? Imagine if your mom knew your approximate 15-year-old penis size. That'd be a bit weird, right Freud?

Also, I'd be insulted if my mom gave me too small of a condom. If she did that, I'd flip on her and side with the conservatives cuz that's what she gets for trying to beat down my teenage self-esteem.

And what would it say about parenting if she gave him cherry-flavored condoms with a numbing agent so he could last longer? Man, I think that move would be a psychological prophylaxis in itself.

Bottom line, the kid should know his condom size and style, so just give him a few baht to buy condoms for emergency sake. Also, some money for a blow up doll wouldn't hurt either

[TAWP]

I know from experience, when a teenager carrys a condom in his pocket, it's burning a hole there. It's like the condom is saying, "use me - use me".

Funny, I never felt like that.

But I can have bottles of alcohol at home to without drinking anything for weeks...

[andyc2006]

when a teenager carrys a condom in his pocket, it's burning a hole there. It's like the condom is saying, "use me - use me".

When I was a teenager, it was my penis saying, "use me - use me," not the condom.

Now if I could have left that at home, you're right, I'd have been better off.

[metisdead]

A post making an unsubstantiated quote has been deleted as well as the replies to that post.

[Chris Lawrence]

If its not on its not on.

As much as older people may not want to hear, their younger ones are like rabbits.

Condoms are a great preventative measure against STD's and pregnancy! Their use saves lives and money for the economy and dignity.

[Gers1873]

Society especially Western society has changed over the years. When I was in my formative years I would have been mortified if my mother had found a condom in my wallet. Since the outbreak of hiv/aids in the 80's attitudes have changed. The last 10-15 years has many parents in the West urging the use of condoms.

Even buying them used top be an 'ordeal........ Oh shit time for another haircut -- "anything for the weekend sir". OR going to the chemist to buy them.... oh that was fun

Perhaps Thai parents are just catching up.

[KKK]

I placed a condom in each of my children's pocket books from the day they were 14-years-old. Before they ever went out with boy or girlfriends I used to check their pocket books to make sure they had enough money, got their ID etc and that a condom was still there. This process continued until they reached 18-years old, left school and became employed.

The condom never changed ... for 4 years it remained the same as I first put there except I did renew it every year....did they have sex or not? did they use a different condom? did they have unprotected sex? I'll never know...none of my business...as a parent I did my bit in educating them about condoms and ensured they always had one.

Achan Mae belongs back in the Victorian era...

[KKK]

In reference to the prevailing culture (sic) it might be said that there is "more culture in an out of date yoghurt"

I agree with that 100%!

Or the only culture they've got is what grows between their toes.....

[atyclb]

Responsible mothers should tell their daughters that if they insist on unsafe sex, it should be with a fat, smelly westerner so at least the child will be supported.