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Epidemiology of HIV/AIDS in India - development of commercial sex workers as an important strategy to stem the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Amit Chattopadhyay, Carolina Papers
International Development, 2003.
ABSTRACT
India has the highest number of HIV/AIDS cases in the world. Current HIV/AIDS prevention strategies are based on regular and appropriate condom use. However, most commercial sex workers (CSWs), who form the core/ high risk groups towards whom the prevention strategy is directed, are disempowered, and are economically marginalized which does not allow them to insist on 100% condom use by the client, especially in absence of governmental structural support. It is necessary to improve the basic living conditions of CSWs to provide the foundation for using condoms regularly, consistently and appropriately in every encounter and refuse a client who refuses to comply.
This policy paper consists of two chapters. The first chapter draws a situation analysis of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in India in the background of India’s current socio-economic scenario, especially as it relates to the quality of available data. The second chapter aims to discuss HIV/AIDS prevention issues that relate to CSW in India and those issues that play a vital role in initiation, perpetuation and expansion of economic activity of CSWs, and those that influence the HIV/AIDS preventive practices of CSWs. This policy paper argues that CSWs can be empowered and emancipated and suggests that HIV/AIDS control and prevention efforts in India must recognize that ad-hoc promotion of condom use or similar such programs will not be enough, and that more extensive developmental work aimed at betterment of basic living conditions of CSWs is required to fulfill HIV/AIDS prevention goals.
