Some 64% of these related to sexual violence, such as rape or women who had been harmed. Some women had retaliated by cutting their husband's organ.

Kritaya has found that females of all ages were vulnerable. The youngest girl reported raped (by a family member) was 13 months, while the oldest woman raped was 105 years old.

Meanwhile, the youngest boy who suffered abuse was six years old and the oldest man abused was 83.

"Most of women and girls were raped by family members and friends," Kritaya said.

Meanwhile, 721 students were interviewed in Pathum Thani for a study by Ramathibodi Hospital's Domestic Violence Knowledge Management Centre.

Dr Ronnachai Kongsakont, who conducted study, said 65% of respondents said they had experience of domestic violence in their family. And 83% of these students said they had suffered depression, loss of self-control, addiction to narcotic drugs, compulsion to gamble and self harm because of this violence.

Kritaya said she would ask the national health commission to submit a proposal on sexual health, which she hoped would help reduce the level of violence in Thai society.

The proposal includes a plan to promote sexual health and women's health, plus a massive campaign to educate the public, government agencies and the media to try to stop domestic violence and violence against women. It would be a key measure to help the public understand the issue better and to eliminate violence.

"The question is why does Thai society still ignore violence against women? The ignorance about violence against women in society is a kind of violence itself.

"We have to eliminate this attitude from our society and help each other to improve," she said. (By PONGPHON SARNSAMAK/ The Nation/ ANN)