STREET PROSTITUTE AND HIV/AIDS
Posted by Mamata on August 18, 2009
HIV/AIDS- not only a disease but also an economical irritation of a nation. AIDS is only name which refers death. Human immature behavior and human immoral relations to each other is one of the main causes of spreading HIV/AIDS all over the world. Only men/ women who are carrying HIV/AIDS are playing vital role to scatter it. Being a third world poor country, Bangladesh is very much vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. Her geographical position is also responsible to emerge HIV/AIDS as an epidemic. Bangladesh has a large border about four thousands kilometers with India. And the number of HIV/AIDS patient in India is not less. Many people from Bangladesh traveling different purpose. This people may be a large number of carriers of HIV/AIDS.
Unstable political situation, transition period difficulties of increased unemployment, unraveling of basic needs, unpaid wages and widespread insecurity about the future have resulted in increased drug abuse and the growth of commercial female sex. These consequences of man’s transition have fueled the spread of HIV and fostered the increased incidence of STIs. Behaviors of injecting drug users (IDUs) in Bangladesh place them at very high risk for HIV infection. Currently 8.9% of people registered with HIV/AIDS infected the virus through injecting drug use in the central area.
In most developed nations, surveys conducted sporadically provide valuable information on changes in sexual behavior patterns. In Bangladesh, such information is hardly available; it is generally acknowledged that sex is effectively controlled by social and cultural factors.
As mentioned by AIDS researcher Mohammad Khairul Alam, ‘Since the join and traditional familitical system playing a vital role to prevent HIV/AIDS without our concern in Bangladesh, this disease is not turning into an epidemic in a poor and illiterate country like us. Our religious belief, respect to other people’s thought, politeness as a nation and restricted social system etc. and the education which we get from our families, are protecting us from many unsocial activities and bad jobs. But in these days, our social values and the social structure are facing a great threat following the western cultures. Familitical ties are breaking; pre-marital relation and unsocial activities are increasing day by day. That is why to protect the traditional social system and to make aware the people – we have to be alert.’
Certainly, adolescent girls’ prostitution is booming in Bangladesh. Adolescent girls engage or are forced into prostitution for trafficking or socio-economic reasons. But in addition to sexual exploitation, they face all sorts of violence. Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallyan Foundation carried out a recent field investigation, the research confirmed that adolescents girls’ prostitution is widespread in Bangladesh, although hidden at first sight from foreigners, especially in Dhaka city. Adolescent girls involved in prostitution are to be found in residence homes converted into brothels or in hotels. The majority are aged 15-18.
Being obviously related, Floating Sex Workers (FSWs) and HIV/AIDS were not regarded as complex social phenomenon in Bangladesh. There are no monitoring and no scientific studies of FSWs in Bangladesh. It’s impossible today to find numbers (even estimated ones) of (FSWs) and where they come from, neither on urban slum, nor rural or village. There is no data about patterns of business and locations of FSWs and of their clients (Sex partners), though it’s an interesting scientific question because background of FSWs and clients in different areas in Bangladesh. There is even no information about HIV/AIDS prevalence among FSWs and their clients, which can become a critical issue of general public health, especially if we keep in mind that HIV/AIDS prevalence among FSWs and their client groups vary in deferent region in Bangladesh. Medical and social needs of FSWs in Bangladesh have never been assessed and there is no exact information what kind of services they can get from community.
