Kite-flying and Thai sex education don't mix

By Chayanit Poonyarat
2-9-2002

BANGKOK - To some, it is a bold, candid, and realistic attempt to teach young Thais sex education. To others, it is dangerous material that could well corrupt impressionable minds.

At the center of this debate is a 32-page booklet called Khumue Waisai (Handbook for Teenagers), which was produced to educate children aged 12 and over about the physical and emotional aspects of sex. And because it is a sex education manual, it contains illustrations of the human sex organs, details on relations with the opposite sex, and information on safe sex, birth control, and menstruation. But after the book was distributed to schools in November, it became controversial. Accusations grew about its candidness and the book's use of slang words such as tok bet (baiting fish) and chuk wao (flying a kite) to refer to masturbation.

This did not bother some young people, who say the book reflects reality more than anything else. "The information about sex given in the booklet is quite ordinary," said 17-year-old Anusorn Sa-ad-jum, an 11th grade student. "Its content answers what people my age want to know." He says he cannot talk to his parents about sex because it is seen as "dirty" talk. He can learn about physical development from books used in health education class, but that information is usually described very scientifically and has few links to everyday realities and young people's concerns. "My friends and I are all familiar with those [supposedly offensive] terms as we say them when we are joking around with friends anyway," Anusorn said of the furore over the book's language.

Still, the row has prompted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to ban the booklet, saying it uses improper language and crosses the line when discussing sex. "We have to put a hold on distribution of the remaining copies until all inappropriate language is corrected," said Thaksin.

Young people say the debate so far tends to look at young people as ignorant and underestimates their intelligence. "I see nothing wrong with sex education. It is about the right time for us to learn it so we know how to protect ourselves," said Anusorn.

But others call the book's content "unacceptable" in Thai culture, and some teachers and parents say the slang terms for masturbation are likely to interest young people in trying to have sex. "I think some of the details and words are a bit too much for Thais, but still sex education is important," said 16 year-old Chantavadee Kanjan.

Sompong Rujiwan, director of the Suan Kularb schools, pointed out, "Children do not need to be taught to masturbate because they would learn it naturally. They would rather be taught about its ethical and moral aspects." He added that although the publisher of the booklet - the non-governmental group Siam Care Organization - claimed good intentions in communicating effectively with youngsters in order to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS, the book could become a two-edged sword.

Statistics show that HIV/AIDS is the second leading cause of death among Thai youngsters aged 15 to 24 years old. Thailand has acquired a reputation for using aggressive anti-HIV/AIDS campaigns that have reached schools and entertainment districts. This led to major success in achieving almost 100 percent condom use.

But the production of material for youngsters is obviously a much more sensitive area. Khumue Waisai was earlier distributed free to government agencies, state enterprises, public health clinics, hospitals, high schools and universities throughout Thailand. It was published by the Siam Care Organization at the instruction of the Prime Minister's Office. The working committee on the booklet included representatives from the Public Health Ministry, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, Mahidol University, the Thai Red Cross, and other non-governmental organizations.

"It was written in a simple way for youngsters learning how to deal with changes involving sex," Somsak Wiangyangkung, the director of Siam Care Thailand, was quoted as saying. He said the second edition of the booklet - which has 100,000 copies - drew on the views of more than 1,500 youngsters. The first edition received good feedback from students at nearly 100 schools, according to a survey.

Some youngsters who said they had had sex said they would have refrained from it had they read the book earlier, the survey also showed. "I want them to compare the contents of this handbook with the pictures of half-naked women on the front page of some newspapers and in some Japanese comic books. They should ask themselves which one is obscene media," Somsak pointed out.

A similar book issued by the committee in charge of AIDS awareness campaigns was also withdrawn earlier because of "improper" language.

"This handbook is very useful, with straightforward, clear, and easy-to-understand words and illustrations," said Jirada Rattanarungsri, an advising teacher for Teen Friends: Puen Jai Wai Roon, a club promoting sex education at the Pracharat Upahtam School. "Teenagers know more than what is said in the book. They learn all the things from pornographic comic books, movies and the Internet, which are widely available."

A poll by Assumption University showed that 11 percent of Thai teens spend some of their free time looking at pornography in magazines, movies, and on the Internet. A total of 4.7 percent said they were having sexual relations with their boyfriends or girlfriends.

But experts say that, more than the language a book uses, a bigger danger lies in failing to reach young people about sex education. A lack of understanding of their own sexuality, learning on their own or through friends, or pornographic material - which may be wrong or harmful - is likely to lead young people to unwanted pregnancies, abortions, and sexually transmitted diseases.

"My students have seen the book and none of them said it is too offensive, but rather that it is a reference they can trust more than teen magazines," Jirada said. "After three years of conducting our year-round-project, which encourages students to talk openly about sexual issues, statistics show that unwanted pregnancies among participating students have dropped from an average of eight cases per semester to only one."

Meanwhile, a survey by the Thai-language newspaper Thai Rath conducted last year said that Thai youngsters are having sex at an earlier age - on average at 17.6 years of age. Some said they had tried it out at 13. The report said 300 to 350 children are abandoned from unwanted pregnancies each year.

In short, some youngsters say, they do need the right information given in an effective manner. Said Anusorn, "The more it is concealed, the more we [teenagers] want to know."

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