MORE YOUNG PEOPLE TURNING TO DRUGS AND PROSTITUTION

A poll released on July 26 suggests that the rate of young Thai people
becoming involved in the sex trade and drug abuse is accelerating despite
the government's attempts to crack down on vice. The comprehensive ABAC
poll, conducted by Assumption University from June 1 to July 24, surveyed
over 14,000 young people aged 11-26 years in 29 provinces across the country.

The poll showed a sharp drop in the number of young people living at home
with their parents, from 76.2 percent last year to only 69.3 percent this
year. And while the survey showed a good deal of interest in 'creative'
activities ranging from sports to religious worship among young people, it
also showed that only 84.7 percent of those surveyed spend much time with
family and relations, down from 96.2 percent in 2003.

A considerably lower proportion of young people carried out 'social good'
activities - 76.9 percent, compared to 85.3 percent last year - while the
number of people giving alms to monks fell from 85.3 percent to 79.4
percent, and the percentage of regular readers and library users fell from
54.3 percent to a mere 48.4 percent.

Conversely, this drop in 'creative' activities was accompanied by a rise in
'uncreative' activities, with the percentage of young people who consumed
pornography in various forms rising from 25.5 percent to 38.1 percent.
Gambling, meanwhile, rose from 22.1 percent to 32.6 percent, while alcohol
consumption inched up to 41.2 percent from 37.1 percent. Perhaps
unsurprisingly, 26.9 percent said that they engaged in violent quarrels,
compared to a significantly lower 17.4 percent in 2003.

But perhaps most worryingly, the ABAC poll found from their data analysis
that the number of young people who have a tendency to be involved in the
sex trade rose to 474,575, from 386,555 last year.

The number of young drugs abusers was also found more than double now, to
955,764 from 444,307 in February, three months after the government
declared the victory on its 'war on drugs' last year. Interestingly, the
vast majority of young drugs users were found to be people who were not in
formal education.

The southern region was found to have the highest proportion of young drugs
users, with 9.74 percent of respondents admitting to using drugs, compared
to only 4.34 percent in the Northeast.

While methamphetamines remained the number one drugs of choice, with 58.78
percent of confessed drugs users claiming to have taken them, marijuana
also showed itself to be popular, with smaller percentages of respondents
admitting to taking solvents, ecstasy and anti-depressants. (TNA)