Title: Curbing Cambodian sex workers' HIV rates.

POPLINE Document Number: 195372

Author(s):

Olson DJ

Source citation:

Global AIDSLink, 2004 Apr-May;(85):6-7.

Abstract:

Phnom Penh, Cambodia - There is no sign outside to reveal what lies within the ramshackle building on an unpaved road in a scruffy neighborhood on the outskirts of the Cambodian capital. The chain and padlock on the front doors do not encourage visitors. But any man knocking on this door knows exactly where he is. An unfriendly, suspicious face appears and, after a brief conversation, he unlocks the doors and leads a small group through a maze to the back of the building. The noise of the visitors rouses a bevy of giggling girls, mostly young, mostly Vietnamese, from their mid-afternoon torpor. This is a brothel in Svay Pak, the infamous red-light district of Phnom Penh, and it offers young girls to foreign and Cambodian men. In Cambodia, sex is not hard to find - it is available in brothels, massage clubs, karaoke bars, beer gardens and on the street. While it is tragic that so many girls and young women are forced into such a high-risk lifestyle, there is hope. Although HIV prevalence in Cambodia is still the highest in Asia, it appears to be declining among commercial sex workers (CSWs), as well as within the general population. Among "direct" (brothel-based) CSWs, HIV has dropped from 42.6 percent in 1998 to 28.8 percent in 2002. Among the general population, it has fallen from 3.3 percent in 1998 to 2.6 percent in 2002 (Data source: HSS). Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are also on the decline. (excerpt)

Keywords:

Cambodia
Thailand
Summary Report
Sex Workers
AIDS Prevention
HIV Prevention
Epidemics
Condom Use
Female Condom
Prevalence
Social Marketing
Health Policy
Developing Countries
Asia, Southeastern
Asia
Sex Behavior
Behavior
AIDS
HIV Infections
Viral Diseases
Diseases
Risk Reduction Behavior
Vaginal Barrier Methods
Barrier Methods
Contraceptive Methods
Contraception
Family Planning
Measurement
Research Methodology
Marketing
Economic Factors
Policy