A worryingly high number of spousal abuse cases, gang rapes and violence against women are being reported in Thailand, a women's right advocate said yesterday.

Thanawadi Thachin, director of the Friends of Women Foundation, citing a report from the World Health Organisation told a seminar in Chiang Mai that Thailand was one of the 10 countries with the highest number of spousal abuse. The seminar was held to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

This year alone, she said, her foundation had received more than 700 complaints, 500 of which were for domestic violence, and the rest about sexual assault and unwanted pregnancy. According to a Ramathibodhi Hospital survey there are some five million families in Thailand.

Thanawadi said the Domestic Violence Victim Protection Act 2007 was a boon for women because it ensured that the wrongdoers were severely punished. However, few women file complaints against abusive husbands due to embarrassment or fear of further assault.

She added that there was also an increase in the number of abused or abandoned children.

Thanawadi also expressed concern about the emergence of videotapes showing rape, catfights among schoolgirls, teenage girls being gang raped and obscene clips taken by peeping toms. She said at least four or five gang-rape cases are reported every month, many of which are recorded in the South.

In related news, the Social Development and Human Security also hosted an anti-domestic-violence event at Bangkok's CentralWorld yesterday.