15 YEARS LATER: Analyzing the Impact of Valentine's Day on Sexual Behavior and Abortion-Related Interventions Among Young People in Phnom Penh, 2009 – 2024

Tong Soprach, Public Health consultant

In a poignant case study in 2010, after testing kit, a young woman got pregnancy. She got sick and bleeding after using some unregistered abortion pills from pharmacy. She sought a safe abortion at a Marie Stopes clinic following a botched attempt after Valentine's Day. This study critically examines the repercussions of Valentine's Day on the sexual behaviors of urban Cambodian youth. Employing a cross-sectional survey design with cluster sampling, our research then broadens to assess the sexual planning behaviors of affluent young people aged 15-24 in Phnom Penh, spanning 15 years and culminating in 2024, with a robust sample of 1,469 participants. The findings reflect a significant cultural shift, with decreasing regard for Valentine's Day as a romantic milestone (61.2% in 2009 to 34.4% in 2024) paralleled by a steep reduction in the intent to engage in sexual activity (12.4% in 2009 to 2.2% in 2024). Despite these trends, concerns related to coercive tactics among young men and a rising disinclination to use condoms remain. The study underscores the need for promoting Khmer culture, sexual rights, sexual and reproductive health, condom use, and consent education, emphasizing that such interventions should not be confined to Valentine’s Day alone.

Keywords: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, Children, Adolescents, and Youth

See extended abstract.