The New Nation - Internet Edition

Mahbubur Rahman Khan

Reluctance to use condom and abrupt use of syringe increase the risk of HIV infection and spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) in the country.

Poverty-ridden women, who engage in sex work, become more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS and STD as sex buyers show reluctance to use condom.

Sex workers could not compel customers to use condom in the fear of losing money or assault from the customers. Chief of sex workers also do not compel sex buyers to use condom fearing loss in business, investigation revealed.

Aklima Begum, a leader of Kandapara Brothel of Tangail, told this Correspondent that she knows about HIV and STD and supplied condom to the sex workers but very few customers use condom.

Customers are not only reluctant to use condom rather they often get furious on workers and assault them, she said.

She complained that one of her sex workers was beaten mercilessly by the local gang as the worker refused to go to bed without condom.

Shahnaz Begum, Executive Director, Durjoy Nari Shangha, said poor knowledge about HIV/AIDS and STD and less satisfaction are the main reasons of customers not using condom during sex.

She said that leaders sometimes do not supply or ask prostitutes to compel condom as the process is not always smooth.

Shahnaz Begum supplies more than 3 lakh condoms to 12 thousand sex workers every month on an average.

She said that the price of condom and its availability has also become a discouraging factor in using condom. "It is difficult for a woman to go to a male dispensary to buy condom", said the ED of the NGO.

She urged the government to reduce the price of condom and ensure its easy availability.

It is found that the government once allocated fund to Social Marketing Company (SMC) to make easy availability of condom at cheap price.

The price has gone up as the government stopped funding SMC, sources said.

HIV prevalence is below 1 per cent. Generally, the prevalence rate above 5 percent is treated as epidemic in a country. According to the latest serological surveillance, it is found that the HIV infection among Injecting Drug Users (IDUs) in Dhaka is 7 percent and the epidemic in Dhaka is not uniformly distributed and is concentrated in one neighbourhood where 11 per cent of the IDU are HIV positive.

Dr Ali Belal, Line Director, National AIDS/STD Programme (NASP) said that youth are the main ID users.

Unemployment problem should be reduced as well as awareness programme should be strengthened to discourage youth from taking drugs, he said.

He suggested inclusion of HIV/AIDS-related textbooks in the school curriculum to create better awareness.