Catholic center teaches Thai teens the dangers of AIDS, casual sex

Published: 2003-12-23

BANGKOK, Thailand (CNS) -- A Catholic social center in Bangkok hopes that young people will listen to AIDS patients, if no one else, about the real threat AIDS poses and the danger of casual sex. Mercy Center, founded and run by U.S. Redemptorist Father Joseph Maier, is trying to counter what it sees as complacency among youths about AIDS, reported UCA News, an Asian church news agency based in Thailand. The center in Bangkok's congested Klong Toey slum area runs a hospice for adults and children with AIDS, and offers shelter and support to street children. Father Maier told UCA News that Thailand's adult population is better educated about AIDS, but young people do not appear to be as aware of the danger due to their lack of "inquisitiveness" on the disease. A program recently held at Mercy Center for 300 secondary school students was an attempt to break through this barrier. During the program, the students listened to four AIDS patients discuss their ordeal.

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