NGO educating prostitutes on safe sex

In an effort to raise awareness of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and AIDS, commercial sex workers in the Pakistani city of Lahore are being educated on safer sex. An estimated 10,000 prostitutes work in Heera Mandi, the city’s red light district, many of them 12-year-olds, some nearing 80. On average, each of the prostitutes sleep with up to 15 male clients a day, with little or no protection and no understanding of the danger of infectious diseases. The National Education Health Research and Resource Institute (NEHRRI), an NGO in Islamabad, prompted the educational initiative in a bid to protect the many women for whom prostitution is the sole source of income. Shazia Hussain from NEHRRI told IRIN: “When the girls have symptoms relating to STDs, they don’t realise the seriousness and don’t seek medical help, often leaving it too late.” Supported by UNICEF and the government-run Punjab AIDS Control Programme, NEHRRI conducts a 16-week session to assess the prostitutes’ knowledge of STDs and to make them aware of contraceptive use and ways in which diseases are spread. Panna, a prostitute taking part in the education programme, has been in the trade for 20 years. She admitted she was unaware of the dangers of unprotected sex, and told IRIN she was forced to have an operation on her kidneys due to an infection. “I thought something was wrong, but I did not go to the doctor until I collapsed. Now I am learning to be more careful,” she said. Prostitutes form the highest risk group for AIDS, according to Mehmood Akhtar from the Punjab Aids Control Programme. While statistics for HIV-positive cases or full-blown AIDS do not exist in Heera Mandi, Akhtar rated the prevalance as “high”. Relevant data is unavailable because the stigma of AIDS prevents many women from going for tests or revealing their livelihood. According to government statistics 1,700 cases of AIDS were recorded in Pakistan last year. However, UN figures for 2000 revealed the presence of 80,000 HIV-positive people, and 6,500 deaths from AIDS. A recent UN study found that only 24 percent of Pakistani couples reported regular contraceptive use, citing cultural and religious objections. Hussain conducts her educational sessions at brothels in the heart of Heera Mandi. Lubna Tayyab is one brothel owner taking part in the programme and has 30 girls working for her. “Most of our clients are businessmen. The older ones won’t wear condoms, but the younger generation do because they are aware of the risks involved.” Tayyab said she was also urging women to take the contraceptive pill to prevent unwanted pregnancies. The brothel has been in Tayyab’s family for generations. “My grandmother, mother, and I myself at one time were dancers and prostitutes. It is our only way of earning a living.” She added that her seven-year-old daughter was likely to do the same, and wanted her to be protected from dangerous diseases. Prostitution in Pakistan dates back to the 17th century Moghul era. Women would dance for the rulers as a prelude to prostituting themselves. It was one of the very few forms of entertainment in that period, Hussain said. “Today the dancing is still used as a cover-up for prostitution, because it is illegal in Pakistan and forbidden in Islam,” she added. Official statistics on the prevalence of prostitution nationwide do not exist, though the trade continues unchecked in most urban centres.