The Nation 980115

[suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

(Note: It is sent so you cn compare the condition of youths in Burma and Thailand) 





       Politics 

       Scholars want greater 
       emphasis placed on 
       family values

       Academics and child activists yesterday 
       called on society to invest more wisely in 
       the country's future by developing policies 
       and strategies which emphasise the 
       importance of family and the healthy 
       development of children. 

       A seminar entitled Children: the Strategy for 
       the Investment of the Future of Thailand, 
       was held yesterday at a Bangkok hotel 
       co-organised by the National Health 
       Foundation, Mahidol University and the 
       Toyota Foundation. HRH Princess Maha 
       Chakri Sirindhorn presided over the 
       opening ceremony. 

       Noted social critic Prawes Wasi proposed 
       that an Office of Children's Affairs be set up 
       and that an assembly be held annually to 
       provide a forum for children's organisations 
       to report the results of their work. 

       Despite the government's huge budget 
       allocation for children's welfare -- about 
       Bt7,000 per child per annum, or 3.9 per 
       cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) 
       -- many child activists say results are far 
       from satisfactory. 

       Many children are living in difficult 
       circumstances, having to work at a young 
       age and at risk of sexually-transmitted 
       diseases and other health problems. 

       ''We may think that the health of our children 
       has been improved over the decades, but 
       our multi-disciplinary, longitudinal study of 
       about a thousand babies since they were 
       born up until 26 years of age has revealed 
       a child health shock,'' Prof Phil A Silva, from 
       the Dunedin Hospital in New Zealand, said. 

       Many children are experiencing problems 
       such as slow development, behavioural 
       disorders and hearing and sight 
       deficiencies, he said. 

       In Thailand, although there has been a 
       decline in the incidence of malnutrition, 
       there are still 1.3 million children under five 
       who are malnourished. About 61.7 per cent 
       of children in this age group experience 
       severe tooth decay, Dr Chanphen 
       Choopraphawan of the National Health 
       Foundation, said. 

       Quoting 1997 figures of the National Social 
       and Economic Development Board 
       (NESDB), the doctor said there are 27.9 
       million children and adolescents below the 
       age of 25. 

       Quoting data from various sources on 
       children nationwide, she said there are 
       16.4 million children in difficult 
       circumstances and that one child in every 
       18 families is orphaned and one in every 
       20 has fled from home. 

       Accidents are still a big problem among 
       pre-school children and teenagers, she 
       said. Accidents kill almost 1,800 children 
       aged five to 14 every year. About 10 
       teenagers die in accidents every day, 
       Chanphen said. 

       Most teenage boys drive recklessly and 
       tend to begin smoking at a young age. 
       Boys are seven times more likely to die 
       from an accident and 15 times more likely 
       to use drugs than girls, she said, quoting 
       the sources. 

       Many teenagers are also at risk of 
       sexually-transmitted diseases, particularly 
       Aids. About 23 per cent of boys in urban 
       areas and 14 per cent in rural areas visit 
       brothels, and only one in six use condoms. 

       Boys in urban areas first have sex at 15, 
       and about 50 per cent of urban teenage 
       girls have pre-marital sex. About 66 per 
       cent of the girls have unprotected sex with 
       boyfriends, she said. 

       She said about one teenager in 10 suffer 
       behavioural disorder problems, while about 
       one in four suffer mental problems. 

       Even though nine out of 10 young children 
       have an opportunity to go to school, 
       inequality regarding the quality of education 
       prevails. 

       She said about one child out of 10 suffers 
       behavioural disorder problems while about 
       one in four suffers from mental problems. 

       About 65 per cent of students nationwide 
       have entered secondary school and one in 
       10 has gone on to higher education, but 
       only 1.8 per cent completed their studies, 
       she said. Three out of five university 
       graduates are unemployed, she added. 

       More than half of children and young adults 
       between the ages of 13 and 24 have 
       entered the workforce and work more than 
       40 hours per week. About 13 per cent of 
       these have eyesight problems and one in 
       three have weak bodies, Chanphen said. 

       Children living in urban areas have more 
       health problems and behavioural problems, 
       while about 37.9 per cent have mental 
       health problems, she said. 

       About 4,000 adolescents commit crimes 
       annually. Cases of narcotics abuse, 
       robbery and rape have significantly 
       increased in the past five years, she noted. 

       Four out of 10 children enjoy night life, and 
       only one in five spend their leisure time 
       reading, she added. 

       Many child advocates took turns proposing 
       ideas and measures to facilitate the healthy 
       development of children, create strong 
       family units and communities and instil 
       positive values. 

       Children need to be protected from 
       violence and discrimination, senator 
       Saisuree Chutikul said. 

       While assisting children in difficult 
       circumstances is a priority, it is also 
       important to develop children's leadership 
       potential, Umaporn Tangkasombat, from 
       Chulalongkorn Hospital's Medicine Faculty, 
       said. 

       Some participants complained there were 
       few opportunities for them to discuss their 
       problems. ''We don't know who to consult,'' 
       Chatchai Chua-raman, of the Centre for the 
       Coordination of Creative Children, said. 

       BY MUKDAWAN SAKBOON 

       The Nation