CHALK TALK
Sex education: prevention is a better cure
Chularat Saengpassa

BANGKOK: -- LARGE numbers of teenage sweethearts would have celebrated Valentine's Day together on Saturday, oblivious to the concern of their parents and the authorities: will they end up having sex?

Chastity is promoted over premarital sex for many reasons. Thailand has long valued virginity. Also, the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies are high among the country's major social problems.

Such facts explain why several agencies campaigned hard last week to encourage teenagers to mark the season of love with a special meal and nothing more. This happens so predictably every year that it has become an issue to be laughed about.

Questions are raised: should relevant parties rethink their approach towards sex education for teenagers now?

"Circumstances have been changing. We can't just stick to the old approach," Nakorn Santiyothin of the Suankularb Wittayalai School told a Thai-language newspaper on one occasion, "Back in the old days, we might just teach students not to engage in premarital sex. But we definitely can't use that old tactic today when so many teenagers will be quick to live together after a brief dating".

She believed the best teachers could do for their students, in regard to this sensitive issue, was to provide adequate and comprehensive information. "The rest then depends on students. After being well informed, they should decide for themselves whether they are ready for sex," she said.

The Programme for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) also believes it is now necessary to provide sex education right from Prathom 6 level to Mathayom 6 or equivalent. That's why it has worked with various authorities in preparing a manual on how to teach sex-related issues to Thai youth.

Proper sex education at least will tell teenagers what they should do in their everyday lives and, if they want, in their sex lives. Safe sex will prevent people from contracting sexually transmitted diseases, HIV and unwanted pregnancies. Safe sex will also ease many social problems likely to arise if children grow up when their parents are not really ready for the change.

According to the Mental Health Department, Thailand is now ranked 15th in Asia and 5th in Southeast Asia when it comes to teenage pregnancies. At present, the average figure is 52 pregnancies per 1,000 females aged between 15 and 19 years old in Thailand. It is higher than the average of 50:1,000 across the globe.

In some areas such as Bangkok, the ratio of teenage pregnancies reaches around 75 among every 1,000.

Public Health Minister Rajata Rajatanavin has said that in 2013 about nine girls aged under 15 years gave birth to babies each day. He considered the problem so serious his ministry and agencies, including the Education and Culture ministries, have come up with a strategy to avoid teenage pregnancies.

Launched this year, the campaign will be in place till 2024.

A key element will be to equip teenagers with life skills, including sex education.

The Public Health Ministry has also come up with a national condom campaign in a bid to boost information about the use of condoms. With condoms, sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies are preventable.

AIDS Access Foundation's director Nimit Tien-udom has supported the installation of condom-vending machines at secondary schools, as well as vocational schools.

"We can't ignore the fact that many students have sex without telling their parents," he said, pointing out that some were infected by HIV while aged just 14 and 15 years old.

The Health Ministry says many condom-vending machines are already in male restrooms at vocational schools. From this project, it is clear that an increasing number of students have chosen to use condoms.

But Office of Basic Education Commission secretary-general Kamol Rodklai has insisted he will never allow the machines at schools supervised by his agencies. He described them as a |double-edged sword, saying if students see such machines at schools, they may be encouraged to have premarital sex.

Although Kamol's argument is not completely groundless, one should never forget that Thais' attitudes towards sex have perhaps changed rapidly over recent decades. Many magazines and websites openly talk about sex. The issue has become so common in daily life that adults will no longer be able to hide it from teenagers or even children until they reach maturity.

Government agencies, especially those at the Education Ministry, should realise that instead of trying to sweep such an issue under the carpet, they should find proper ways to address it. Give children the right information, the adequate sex education, so that they have immunity against all temptation and risks.

Naivety can be harmful. Give Thai children a shield.

Chularat Saengpassa

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Sex-education-prevention-is-a-better-cure-30254145.html


-- The Nation 2015-02-16

"Thailand has long valued virginity"

A joke right? A country built on sex tourism and prostitutes on every corner of the country. Thailand is world renowned for sex and prostitution and people from muslim countries aren't flocking here for thier 70 virgins.

"Thailand has long valued virginity"

A joke right? A country built on sex tourism and prostitutes on every corner of the country. Thailand is world renowned for sex and prostitution and people from muslim countries aren't flocking here for thier 70 virgins.

SSHHH! You are waking up sleeping Thais dreaming in a fantasy world.

The one thing The article left out is what I taught all three of my daughters is responsibility, If you have a child at a young age who and how are you going to care for it? Also if you decide to have sex then protection is best used either condom or birth control pills but best if both, also sex dosen't mean love either

"Thailand has long valued virginity."......Disgraceful statement!.......should read "Thai men have long valued virginity" !!

Oblivious to the concerns of their parents and authorities, will they have sex ?

Concerns of parents and authorities is very doubtful and highly debatable. I will not generalise in any way but simply say the few Thai families I know don't give a monkey's where their children are at any given time or what they are up to.

It is not only about using condoms, it is about teaching being a responsible person and therein lies the biggest problem here. And Khun Kamol should be given an inactive post immediately . What a !!!.

Thailand has long valued virginity...............as a commodity!

Yes they need to know the consequences, but what they really need to teach is critical thinking and risk assessment. They don't wear a helmet to ride a motorcycle, why would they wear one for sex?

Also making the father's legally responsible for their kids would certainly help the issue.

"Chastity is promoted over premarital sex for many reasons. Thailand has long valued virginity. "

Right up there with valuing democracy and honesty.

Edited February 16, 201511 yr by jaltsc

"Thailand has long valued virginity."......Disgraceful statement!.......should read "Thai men have long valued virginity" !!

Should read "...Taking of virginity".

If they had laws in place to force the fathers to take financial responsibility for the kids they might think twice. At the moment I would say that well over half the girls working in bars are there to support their kids whilst the fathers are boozing away their salary (if they have one).

To be fair I see far more responsibility taken by the girls (after they have the kid) than the irresponsible guys.

Girls in this country are second class citizens - put that right (it's a distant dream I know) and you might see unwanted pregnancies reduced.

Thailand has long valued virginity...............as a commodity!

yes, Thai men pay more for it.

While "virginity" always seems to be thought in terms of females, it's often overlooked by males. How many males can claim to be virgins before they marry?

Men are excused for following their hormoneal urges while women are admonished for not controlling their own. Recognition of the reality of sex is the best cure for irresponsible sexual behavior.

With regard to all the hypocrites in this country drunk of Thainess and their high moral standards it should read:

Prevention of sex education is a better cure…

"Thailand has long valued virginity"

A joke right? A country built on sex tourism and prostitutes on every corner of the country. Thailand is world renowned for sex and prostitution and people from muslim countries aren't flocking here for thier 70 virgins.

72 mate 72...we should be correct on such a sensitive object...and i heard there are 72 left here...

Another atricle full of the right things to say which isn't unusual here.

Sex education will be necessary but who is going to teach it as parents, schools and the Ministry play pass the parcel. Like so many other issues parents avoid even the basics and reserve the right to complain about schools not doing this properly.

Kamol having a position of authority within education is frightening but helps to explain a lot.

"Although Kamol's argument (that having condom machines at schools encourages sex) is not completely groundless"

I disagree. Komol's argument is completely groundless. People have had sex when they really wanted to have sex for over a million years. people will have sex when they want to really have sex for the foreseeable future.

It is, to me, a case of safeguarding an outworn and ignored moral "non" standard for the sake of political posturing.

All Thai girls are virgins, even after they get married. Just ask the 70 Million Thai people......

I cant help notice that Thais never become adult....they are teens up until around the age of 30 and then they are just old and want to do nothing at all all day long.

Edited February 16, 201511 yr by AlQaholic

There is a young pretty Thai girl here who has charged extra for her virginity. Mostly with Japanese men. Has been doing this for a couple of years.She now has bought a three bedroom bungalow. Now there is swank for you

I think it begins at the bottom, at the family level. With this top down approach, for every solution, they will only create ten more problems.

Thailand used to be considered the "Hub" of Virginity.

The boys and girls should be taught that a guided missile is smarter than an unguided one.

Kids live in a dreamworld guided by Facebook, Line and the mirror of their scooters.

"Thailand has long valued virginity"

A joke right? A country built on sex tourism and prostitutes on every corner of the country. Thailand is world renowned for sex and prostitution and people from muslim countries aren't flocking here for thier 70 virgins.

72 mate 72...we should be correct on such a sensitive object...and i heard there are 72 left here...

Less..........I saw them all in a phone booth the other day.

They should start encouraging blowjobs.

Edited February 16, 201511 yr by Kaalle

It is not only about using condoms, it is about teaching being a responsible person and therein lies the biggest problem here. And Khun Kamol should be given an inactive post immediately . What a !!!.

I think Strangebrew has the right idea. Raging hormones are a funny thing especially with all the explicit sex material pornography flying around the internet. When I was a youngster I can still remember reading a racy pocket book with a flashlight under my blanket before going to sleep. I wish we would have had rechargeable batteries back then. I had to take things in hand during my hormone years.

They should launch a crackdown on virginity!

Yes of course good idea to educate school kids about sex,puberty ,condom use and sexual transmitted diseases etc..]

So far Thai school were not covering this topic really ?

What's the definition of a Thai virgin? ............... A girl under 12 who can run faster than her brothers.

All teen boys and girls know everything about sex, probably more then their parents/teachers and religious leaders. Mothers of teen girls, ( and Fathers if they can find him), should say to the daughter, and mean it " If you get pregnant or a communicable disease you will have to leave our home immediately ! "