 |
|
| Kathmandu, Thursday June 19, 2003 Ashadh 05, 2060. |
|
Effective
programmes vital to curb AIDS menace
By Perina Pathak
KATHMANDU, June 18 : A
study conducted on commercial sex workers (CSW) actively working in the busiest highway
reveals that more than two thousand women are in this profession and are in need of
treatment of Sexually-Transmitted Diseases (STD), awareness about the HIV/AIDS and condom
use.
The research made
available by National Centre for AIDS and STD Control (NCASC), conducted in various phases
in a four-year period, states that there is a need of effective programmes to minimise the
increasing number of HIV/AIDS-infected and STD patients.
The research finding
says that one among five sex workers is suffering from STD every year and most of them do
not even have a health check-up.
As part of awareness
and prevention programmes, the Health Ministry in co-ordination with various
non-government organisations is providing STD treatment services through private and
public health institutions. "The government is also providing HIV/AIDS prevention
programme through condom promotion," said Dr. Benu Bahadur Karki, spokesperson at
Health Ministry.
"Government only
co-ordinates, facilitates and promotes other NGOs," said Karki.
Apart from the
government, various NGOs, on a private basis are actively providing training on condom use
to empower sex workers working in various locations.
"We have been
providing training and awareness programmes about HIV/AIDS and STD to sex workers so that
they relay the message among themselves," said Mahesh Bhattarai, executive director
of the General Welfare Pratisthan, an organisation working along the busiest routes of
Prithvi, Tribhuvan and East –West (Purba-Paschhim) highways.
"There is a need
of quality health services to these people," said Bhattarai. "The increasing
number of STD patients also shows that there is no cent-percent use of condoms."
According to Bhattarai,
regular clients of CSWs are drivers (both bus and truck), peasants, police, army and
surprisingly in some areas, school and college students are also found visiting CSWs.
In the behaviour change
programme conducted by the Pratisthan in the Nagdhunga to Janakpur route on the Prithvi
highway and Mugling to Raxaul on the Tribhuvan Highway, revealed that around 1500 CSWs are
actively working in those areas. Around 700 women are in the sex trade in the Gorusinghe
to Kanchanpur route on the East-West highway.
The women involved in
the sex trade work in disguised form either in restaurants, shops, and massage parlours or
in cabin restaurants.
In a survey conducted
in 2000, showed that 42 percent of drivers visit brothels regularly, which in the year
2001 increased to 61 percent. Similarly, in the same period, peasants visiting sex workers
increased up to 30 percent from 11 percent. Whereas only 60 percent of drivers and 45
percent of the peasants use condom regularly during sex, states the research.
"The recent
scenario directs us to inform sex workers about STD, expand the condom market and
reduction of partners," said Bhattarai. "Though there has been some increase in
condom use among the drivers, there is a need for free distribution of condoms, its
demonstration, ways to negotiate with clients, ways to deal with alcoholic clients and to
increase the condom purchase points."
Other Stories
|
