Teen pregnancies a big problem

The unexpected pregnancy also occurred when she was only a lowersecondary student.

"I finally had to move out and quit school," Da recently recalled.

She said if she had it to do over again, she would study hard and avoid upsetting her parents.

'Think of your parents'

"I would like to tell other girls to think of their parents before engaging in premarital sex," Da said. "But if you want to have sex with your boyfriend, you must stick to safe sex."

Today, Da is 22 years old. Her oldest child, a boy, is six years old, she has a second child who is nearly two, and she is pregnant again.

"My husband and I are trying to save as much money as we can for our children," Da said.

Her husband is only 19. He sells grilled bananas while Da sells fried wantons.

"Together, our stalls make a profit of a few hundred baht each day," Da said.

The young mother said she was happy she decided against an abortion.

"I was determined from the very beginning not destroy my own child," Da said.

Abortion and 'unhappiness'

She said friends who had opted for abortions had never found happiness in their lives.

Da lives in Bangkok's Wat Sunthorn Thammathan com¬munity. The community's chairwoman, Suween Waewployngarm, is making a serious effort to prevent unwanted pregnancies among schoolgirls.

"We've promoting recreational activities for youths to participate in. We've promoted family ties. We've promoted the use of condoms and contraceptives," Suween said.

She said so far, the most effective solution lay with parents.

"By taking good care of their children, parents can keep their children on the right path," Suween said.

She said parents' failure to pay close attention to their children often led to unwanted pregnancies.

"Most local girls with unwanted pregnancies become pregnant while in only grade 6 or 7," Suween said.

Thanee sae Phoo, chairman of Bangkok's Wat Karuehabodee community, said a few teenage mothers lived there.

"These schoolgirls get pregnant by their boyfriends. They're lovers," Thanee said.

He said families and communities could play a key role in preventing abortions or suicides when unwanted pregnancies occurred.

"We can help these girls. They can return to live a normal life if we help," Thanee said, adding that  the girls could continue their studies through informaleducation programmes.