Nearly half Bangkok's children sexually harassed or abused

International surveys conducted by sociology research institutes at London School of Economics and Stanford University asked questions concerning spousal abuse of significant samples of married men in 36 countries. More than 37% of the Thai survey sample self-reported beating their wives physically. This was by and far the highest affirmative response rate to the question "do you physically beat your wife on a regular basis". The next highest response rate, among the remaining 35 nation samples, was 13%.

The Thai government itself reports that 35% of women in Thailand of reproductive age earn at least a portion of their income from sex work.

It appears not to be a problem for the Thai government as a Thai language instruction book, published by the TAT, has a chapter on how to approach a woman in a Thailand hostess or go-go bar for sex.

On the issue of Thailand's educational system, I have to agree with ajarntrade that critical thinking and analysis seem to be left out, even at the professional degree program level at flagship universities. Merely read a few of the doctoral dissertations from Chulalongkorn or Thammasat Universities and one will see the same magico-religious thinking that dominates politics and the annual calendars of village and city life the Royal Kingdom of Thailand.

Perhaps, one can legitimately claim the same regarding ignorance emanating from lack of education in any large central city core in Europe, Australia of the United States. This also applies to significant segments of the educated middle classes and upper classes in the West; and most definitely to some members of this Forum.

Nonetheless, a significant difference is that the formal educational system of the Royal Kingdom of Thailand seems to have the opposite intent of those in the West. The Thai system seems to foster, if not engender, a continuance of ignorance merely reformulated.

[Surfcrest]

Nearly half the children of metropolitan Bangkok and outlying areas between the ages of 11 and 14 were sexually harassed or abused, according to the latest survey by the Assumption University Poll Research Centre (ABAC Poll).

One wonders if it will engender any "Action" to reduce the levels of abuse which are clearly very high.

While not wanting to sound like a "nit picker", are we now talking about abuse or sexual harassment? There clearly is a significant difference between the two and no doubt the statistics in the report support may support this level of a problem as combined issues.

You are now specifically talking about abuse and I'm not seeing statistics that speak of this issue as a stand alone.

I find it difficult to believe that sexual abuse is happening at a rate to cause this level of alarm. I personally think that the Thai focus on the priority of family works directly against this premise.

The papers I've read on this topic of abuse seem to support the theory that abuse is repeated from generation to generation. The abused becomes the abuser. In a Western environment, the epidemic surfaced not because the level of abuse reached an intolerable level, but because it became acceptable for people to speak out about it.

Similarily so, the same is happening in the work place with sexual abuse. These two issues, however, are apples and oranges and I find it to be sensationalism by statistics to take a report like this and make it all about abuse.

Surfcrest

"The poll respondents said that many factors triggered sexual harassment against Thai minors. Heading the list is 'a society in moral decline' which 59.2 per cent of respondents said needed to be urgently addressed.

Some 57.4 per cent of the respondents attributed the sexual harassment to pornographic CDs and movies, 53.6 percent blamed the light penalties imposed against offenders, 51.8 said seductive clothing of actors, actresses and singers were to blame, and 49.3 said alcoholic drinks were the among major causes".

It is interesting to see that the polling age range was 15 to 24 and that within this age group they chose 'a society in moral decline' as the issue to be addressed urgently. It sounds, from the responses, that poll respondents had a list of options to choose from and were not allowed their own head in coming up with their own thoughts on the reasons for abuse. A closed poll is easier for the researchers to manage the results but does not always allow for the full breadth of reasoning to be addressed. I further think that it is bizarre that the respondents can perceive that a society is in moral decline in their short 15 to 24 year old lives.

It would/could have been interesting if the poll was conducted with different specific age groups, with an uppper teir of ageing Thai's. If the Thai's in their 80's were convinced to respond to the polling honestly, would we have found out that child abuse was just as prevalent 60 or 70 years ago, but that there were no polls, no reporting of abuse (or limited reporting) and very few families willing to talk about it at that time? Who knows as the research did not go down this route.

As for Thai's being dumb, I tend to find it quite amazing that, considering the lack of educational opportunities, Thai people are so well rounded, adaptive and intelligent. How many of us speak more than one language. I myself haven't mastered English (my own language) after 42 years and can just about say hello in German after three years of Comprehensive School training (many years ago). I now have a smattering of Thai, enough to get by in social situations, but can speak very little Thai when compaired to the number of Thai guys who can speak limited, good or excellent Engllish. Many Thais can speak their own language (of course), maybe some Laos, Cambodian, have varying degress of competence in Japanese, Chinese, English and other western languages. Many of the guys I have met have come from farms where it was, I am told, more important to ensure a good harvest than receive a full education. The view that Thai's are dumb is insullting not only to them but to every board member.