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Uganda: HIV Cases Soar Among Kampala Sex Workers
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The Monitor (Kampala)
9 May 2008
Posted to the web 9 May 2008
Jane Nafula
Kampala
The prevalence of HIV/Aids among women and girls involved in commercial sex in Kampala is on the rise.
Cases of other sexually transmitted diseases like Syphilis and Gonorrhoea are also high among the sex workers.
The coordinator of the Breaking the Ice Project being implemented by Reproductive Health Uganda in Kampala, Mr Robert Kanwagi said a recent study done in Kampala indicated that the HIV prevalence among the sex workers was as high as 47.2 per cent compared to the national rate of 6.7 per cent.
The Breaking the Ice Project was launched in July last year by Reproductive Health Uganda (RHU) to enhance access to HIV/Aids services among sex workers in Kampala as well as reducing the social-cultural barriers to utilisation of HIV related services.
Mr Kanwagi said amongst young sex workers who are between 25-29 years, the prevalence of HIV is as high as 60 per cent and that 59.6 per cent were reported to be infected with other Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs).
Mr Kanwagi was addressing journalists at training workshop for RHU staff on HIV and Gender held under the theme, "Theory and practice of gender oriented planning" in Kampala on Monday .
Mr Kanwagi said poverty was the major factor influencing women to practice commercial sex. He also said sex workers like any other women have not yet been empowered in negotiating safer sex. Sex workers who go in for unprotected sex are paid more money than those who opt for proteceted sex.
The National Programme Manager, Reproductive Health Uganda, Dr Peter Ibembe said women and young girls are becoming more infected with HIV due to social economic and cultural factors that deny them access to HIV prevention and treatment services.
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"A poor woman or girl may not be able to deny a man sex because she needs money. Because of their lack of decision-making power in matters of sex, as well as other factors like poverty, they become more exposed to the risk of becoming infected than men," he said. He also said several men take advantage of poor women and girls and exploit them sexually.
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