Youth Club members handing out the roses, with the Safe Sex or No Sex message attached, to high school students in Siam Square |
February 13, 2007, Bangkok -Young people in Thailand now seem to be adopting a more casual attitude toward sex than did their parents’ generation. However, without adequate knowledge of how to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS, they could easily place themselves, as well as the country’s future, at risks. A recent survey by Assumption University revealed that a third of Thai girls who responded to the poll think it neat to lose virginity on Valentine’s Day. However, they may be unaware that less than half of sexually active youth men around the world use condoms, even though unprotected sex is the greatest risk factor for HIV/AIDS. Along with other risky behaviors, unprotected sex could deprive developing economies of productive human capital many years into the future, according to the World Development Report 2007. By contrast, longer life expectancy could encourage more investment in human capital in developing countries. By promoting safe health behaviors, Governments could increase the likelihood that poor youths will escape poverty, the WDR 2007 reported. With that in mind, the World Bank Thailand Youth Club has been focusing on promoting HIV/AIDS awareness among young people. In February – the Month of Love for many youths around the world, the Youth Club organized two events to encourage youth dialogue on HIV/AIDS. The “Concert in the Park” on February 10 aimed to raise funds for the HIV/AIDS center at a temple in central Thailand; The “Safe Sex or No Sex” campaign on February 13 aimed to encourage youth to choose carefully and protect themselves from HIV/AIDS. “It’s closer to us than we think,” said Phochara Vichalai, 19, a Thammasat University freshman and President of the World Bank Youth Club, of HIV/AIDS. “We are prone to the infection unless we protect ourselves. But we either hear about HIV/AIDS only from the adults, or are excluded from the decision-making that could affect us. This is why the Youth Club wanted to organize these events to promote HIV/AIDS knowledge among young people, as well as to encourage them to share the knowledge with their peers.” 
Musicians performing during the February 10th Concert in the Park |
The first event was a collaborative effort between the World Bank and Rainbow Sky Association of Thailand and Bangkok Rainbow Organization – both are non-governmental organizations advocating HIV/AIDS awareness, as well as gay and lesbian’s rights. Another key partner in this program was Thammarak Foundation, which manages the HIV/AIDS center at Wat Phra Baht Nam Phu. The temple is located in central region’s Lop Buri province, 154 kilometers north of Bangkok. Wat Phra Baht Nam Phu has been caring for full-blown AIDS patients since 1992, when information about HIV/AIDS infections in Thailand was still not widely available. It started out as a small hospice with only eight beds – now the temple has 400. It also takes care of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS. Of all the 2,000 people under the temple’s care now, 1,300 of them are children. Every month, the temple pays up to four million baht to care for them, including the cost of food, medicine, cremation expenses, and administrative fees. Financial support from the Thai Government, at 100,000 baht a month, is hardly enough to help the temple. And donations from temple goers are often too small to make up the difference. The February 10th concert was designed to help the temple meet the shortfall. It was held in Bangkok’s Benjakitti Park, with more than 120 people attending, including college students and park visitors. Through donations collected at the park, in Siam Square, at schools and colleges around Bangkok, as well as at the weekend Chatuchak Market, the Youth Club raised 200,346 baht for Wat Phra Baht Nam Phu. “This (youth) program presents a great opportunity for young people to take part in social development,” said Phra Alongkot Phonlamuk, 52, the temple’s founding father. “Almost 100,000 HIV-infected patients in our country are young people. If the situation continued, I’m worried that the number of young HIV-infected people could reach a million in five years. It is very important to keep the youth involved, otherwise the problem will never be solved.” 
Some of the T-shirts panited by youth celebrities during the event |
Another World Bank Youth Club program followed less than a week later. Under the title “Learn to Express Your Love the Right Way,” the event was designed to be a forum for youth dialogue on Safe Sex or No Sex – one day ahead of St. Valentine’s Day. During this event, students from Bangkok universities participated in a debate on “Safe Sex is Better than Abstinence.” Following the debate, Dr. Panpimol Lotrakul, a child and adolescent psychologist, led the discussion on how to protect oneself from risky behaviors while being in love. Youth celebrities participating in this event painted the Love the Right Way slogan on T-shirts, which they then wore around Siam Square to promote the campaign. During the rally around Siam Square, hundreds of red roses were handed out to other youths, along with pamphlets promoting the Love the Right Way campaign. “We young women have to choose carefully and appropriately, even while we are in love,” Pacharaporn Panomwan Na Ayutthaya, 20, a Chulalongkorn University freshman, told reporters during the rally. “Don't let peer pressure force you into making a bad choice. Think about protecting yourself before getting involved with anyone sexually.” For more information on World Bank Youth Engagement Program, please contact Tinnakorn Sareenun at +66 2686 8327, or email tsareenun@worldbank.org.
DJ Pla Kung as he promoted Safe Sex to concert-goers |
World Bank Youth Club members getting ready for Siam Square rally |
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