Abstract:
Child workers is the phenomenon of child in employment in many countries and in Thailand,
Act of labor 1998 announced as child labor is the case of employing children under 18 year. Child
female workers have many problems with sexual health. This research aimed to investigate the sexual
health behavior , sexuality , family environment and the effect of these things on their sexual health.
Twenty-one young Thai female , aged under 18 years , employed in three textile factories in
Samutprakan province were interviewed and observed over a period of ten month.
Some of the Child workers were either married or in steady heterosexual relationships. Most
had sex with their partner in the couple but also had sex with men outside the relationship. Sexual
encounters endangered sexual health because they did not use birth control or methods of preventing
sexual infections such as condom. Most thought that sex was natural and that it could lead to health
problems but because of their educational background, they lacked information and comprehensive
of these problems. Also, because of the tedious nature of their work and their status as illegally
employed workers, they had no chance to receive correct information about sex.
In addition , they had been brought up in the gender role of the fair lady which meant
that they were reserved in speaking about sex or expressing themselves sexually and this led to a
loss of bargaining power in sex. Because of this some of them had suffered sexual infections and
unwanted pregnancies. These girls were unable to refuse sex when they were in a relationship and
unable to exert power in a relationship because of a consciousness of their duty and responsibility to
their families. The fair lady frame of Thai culture and tradition becomes a tool in controlling
sensation. Because of their lack of understanding of sex, lack of attention from adults, lack of
opportunity to access sex information, and because of prescribed gender roles, most of these girls had
risky sexual health behavior. Therefore, it is imperative that all parties provide proper knowledge and
understanding to child such as these in ways that are consistent with physical and social changes. This is
necessory to prevent sexual health problems and the sexual infections which are currently prevalent in
Thai society.