AEGiS-15IAC: Insisting use of condom: A precursor of violence in brothel in Bangladesh.

15th International AIDS Conference

Bangkok, Thailand - July 11-16, 2004

Insisting use of condom: A precursor of violence in brothel in Bangladesh.

Int Conf AIDS 2004 Jul 11-16; 15:(abstract no. TuOrD1125)

Chanda SK, Bhowmik KR
PRASOD-Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh

BACKGROUND: Bangladesh is at a great risk of AIDS epidemic, despite its relatively low prevalence of HIV. Migration from neighboring India and Myanmar and unprotected sex in vulnerable group is a major threat for spreading HIV/AIDS. Several organizations are working on brothel-based Commercial Sex Workers (CSW) intervention by promoting condom for preventing unprotected sex and claiming use rate of 80%, although the 4th National HIV and Behavioral Surveillance have revealed that condom use among CSWs in Bangladesh is the lowest in Asia and only 4.4% of men use condom. But CSWs has become a high risk group for injury and victims of violence during negotiation of using condom for sex. OBJECTIVE: of the study is to estimate the incidence of violence experienced by CSWs in a brothel, and to gain an understanding whether offering condom to customers is a major threat to initiate violence.

METHODS: About 176 out of 952 CSWs in Tangail Brothel were interviewed with a structured questionnaire. Living for last 12 months in the Tangail brothel was included in the study. Face-to-face interview was conducted by trained female interviewers. Information regarding knowledge about HIV/AIDS, use of condom, negotiation with customers and incidence of violence in preceding one year was collected along with their socio-demographic characteristics.

RESULTS: Almost all CSWs experienced number of episodes of violence during their stay at brothel for many different reasons. The estimated incidence of physical violence is severe enough to restrict themselves from normal activities for couple of days or took medical treatment and failure to negotiation of condom contributed 35.54%, next to monitory reason (45%).

CONCLUSIONS: Behavioral change of men is essential to prevent unprotected sex as well as protecting CSWs from physical violence. To promote the safety of this high vulnerable group, immediate program should be taken by the policy makers.

Keywords: AEGIS, Condoms, Unsafe Sex, Prostitution, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, HIV, Incidence, HIV Seropositivity, HIV Infections, Prevalence, Condoms, Female, Negotiating, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Asia, India, Humans, Male, Female

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TuOrD1125