On the eve of Valentine’s Day, Thai authorities doubled down on preventing unwanted pregnancies and the spread of HIV/AIDS. According to statistics, 83 percent of Thai teenagers planned to have sex on Valentine’s Day.
The Public Health Ministry warned that STIs among 10-19 year old teenagers increased nearly five times in the last 10 years.
“It is due to the fact that only 43 percent (of teenagers) use condoms and also because they choose condoms that are too big for their actual sizes and they are afraid they will be mocked for being too small," the statement claimed.
The ministry in its turn said it planned to spend $1.4 million this year to distribute over 43 million condoms to people across the country.
Earlier, some Thai officials called for condom vending machines to be placed in all secondary schools, but this idea was rejected by the National Office of Basic Education Commission.
Valentine’s Day often causes lots of concern. This year officials urged teenagers to visit temples, for instance, instead of having sex.
But, despite high levels of concern over sexual behaviour among teens, action to tackle its consequences remains limited. In a nutshell, sex remains a taboo topic at most levels of Thai society.
