‘20 percent prostitutes HIV+’ Prostitutes rounded up by police in this file photo

Patrick Chitumba Midlands Bureau Chief
AT least 20 percent of prostitutes in the country are HIV positive, National Aids Council (Nac) monitoring and evaluation director Amon Mpofu said yesterday.

Mpofu said a recent survey revealed that young prostitutes were at risk of infection because most of them could not negotiate for condom use.

“There are some studies on sex workers in the country which were done by some of our partners which revealed that about 20 percent of sex workers are HIV positive,” said Mpofu.

He said most young prostitutes could not negotiate for condom use and as such were more exposed to infection compared to old prostitutes who insisted on condom use.

“The incidence rate in sex workers is far higher than that of the national incidence rate and that is a cause for concern,” said Mpofu.

He said there was therefore a need for the girl child to be educated on the dangers of prostitution.

Mpofu said prostitutes should also be educated on the importance of protected sex so that they are not exposed to infection.

He said it was for this reason that Nac had created a post to coordinate issues involving prostitutes and high risk groups such as truck drivers and the disabled.

“Sex workers ought to be educated because their industry is risky. They need to be encouraged to use condoms,” said Mpofu.

Meanwhile, Mpofu said in terms of HIV and Aids hot spots, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South and Bulawayo provinces had the highest rate of incidences.

He said Bulawayo stood at 2,6percent, Matabeleland North and South at about 1,6percent.

“Matabeleland region has close links with Victoria Falls, Kazungula, Beitbridge and Plumtree Border posts which are also the main economic corridors that sex workers follow in pursuit of clients,” said Mpofu.

He said Marondera, Mazowe and Chirundu were also rated as hot spots.

Recently, the Constitutional Court outlawed the arbitrary arrest of prostitutes.

The court held that in the absence of a man who claims to have been approached to pay for sex, the women’s arrests were unconstitutional.

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