Kolkata: Sex Workers in city refuses to take HIV test

[Guest guest]

While eight percent of the 9000 sex workers surveyed recently at Kolkata by West

Bengal State AIDS Control Society tested HIV positive, the sex workers at

Sonagachi refuses to take HIV test anymore as it would affect their profession,

reports Times News Network.

WBSACS Officials who conducted the survey opined that 9000 SWs at Sonagachi are

acting as catalyst in spreading the disease. The SWs organisation Durbar Mahila

Samannaya Committee (DMSC) believes that their stand won't thwart the

government's effort in controlling the disease as all SWs are advised to use

condoms. The DMSC took their stand after Mayor Subrata Mukherjee's reported

statement about mandatory AIDS detection test for the sex workers desiring to

get trade license.

Quoting the findings of the survey the WBSACS officials that they would try to

intensify the HIV targeted intervention programme. The sex workers will be

assured about the confidentiality of the test status but they believe that the

onus is on them to respond positively on this threatning issue.

FXB West Bengal

100 C, Park Street,1st Floor,

Kolkata-700017

Telephone : 033-281-7813

Telefax : 033-281-7604

Email : fxbwestbengal@...

[Guest guest]

Dear e FORUM,

With reference to the FXB West Bengal report titled " Kolkata: Sex Workers in

City refuse to take HIV test " Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee (DMSC) would

like to clarify the following issues:

1. The annual HIV Prevalence Sentinel Surveillance is conducted by the National

AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) and in 2003, HIV/AIDS targeted intervention

programmes were included in the sentinel surveillance for the first time. DMSC,

as the largest targeted HIV/AIDS intervention among sex workers in West Bengal

was approached to be a partner of the Sentinel Surveillance and at the end of

the surveillance, the prevalence of HIV positivity was only 8% among sex worker

community served by DMSC.

We use the word 'only' advisedly, as this is the lowest prevalence of HIV among

sex worker populations in any major metropolis in India and is a measure of the

stupendous success of the Sonagachi Model of intervention and of DMSC the sex

workers' organisation that currently runs the project. To invert this success of

Sonagachi model and of DMSC by a piece of sensationalist journalism is

malicious.

2. DMSC and management of the STD/HIV Intervention Programme are partners of the

West Bengal State AIDS Prevention & Control Society (WBSAPCS) and in no meetings

and discussions with them have the WBSAPCS officials opined that " the 9000 sex

workers at Sonagachi are acting as catalyst in spreading the disease " .

This is because this type of thinking is unsound epidemiologically and is anyway

untrue: as it is well known, active transmitters of HIV are men, while women are

more susceptible to acquiring infection but not too efficient as transmitters.

To attribute such a statement to officials of WBSAPCS with regard to the sex

workers of Sonagachi, once again smacks of attempts to discredit both the

intervention project and the WBSAPCS.

3. We come now to the issue of the sex workers at Sonagachi refusing " to take

HIV test anymore as it would affect their profession " . The Mayor of Kolkata, Mr.

Subrata Mukherjee had announced that the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC)

would issue licenses to sex workers provided they were (a) brothel-based and (

willing to take a mandatory HIV test.

While welcoming the Hon. Mayor's announcement, DMSC, as a sex workers'

organisation that fights for rights of sex workers and other marginalised

communities including people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) wish to raise the

following issues. Firstly, issuing licenses (and attendant privileges along with

it) to brothel-based (female) sex workers only, would deprive the large numbers

of floating and street-based sex workers similar legal and other protection.

Additionally, the Hon. Mayor's announcement mentions nothing about male sex

workers who are, as everyone knows, more vulnerable to acquiring HIV.

As a sex workers' rights organisation, we therefore have to point out to the KMC

these omissions and request them to consider these issues before any hasty steps

towards licensing of sex workers is taken. Secondly, mandatory HIV testing is a

practice that has been discarded internationally on grounds that it is

discriminatory, violates human rights, and stigmatises communities and drives

them away from access to resources that can mitigate suffering and prevent

further spread of disease. Therefore mandatory HIV testing under any guise is to

be condemned as bad practice.

DMSC therefore is very clear that mandatory testing for any disease including

HIV is a violation of human rights of sex workers and therefore opposes it.

Further, any mandatory testing for HIV among sex workers of Sonagachi (and other

red light areas) would only succeed in driving large numbers of sex workers

underground and away from clinical (STD) care, and access to condoms that have

been so successful in maintaining the HIV prevalence at Sonagachi (and other

DMSC intervention sites) to below 10% even after 18 years of the epidemic.

For these reasons DMSC opposes mandatory testing of sex workers for HIV. To

reduce these complex sets of arguments into a single comment that " HIV test

would affect their profession " also does seem to have one purpose: that of

damaging the reputation of DMSC and refusing to acknowledge its landmark

successes in preventing HIV/AIDS among sex workers of West Bengal.

4. Lastly, we at DMSC welcome all efforts of WBSAPCS to intensify the HIV/AIDS

intervention programme and pledge to partner WBSAPCS in any bold steps it wishes

to take. We also suggest that along with intensifying voluntary testing and

counselling facilities for sex workers and other people, the time has come for

WBSAPCS to begin providing access to cheap ART and free treatment of

opportunistic infections for all people who test positive for HIV.

At this stage of the epidemic, when multi-drug regimens used worldwide have

shown the efficacy of highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) in reducing

viral loads, transmissibility and in improving quality of lives, we should along

side increased testing begin providing curative services for AIDS to all who are

in need of it. That would mean real intensification of targeted HIV intervention

among marginalised communities of sex workers, MSM and PLWHA. Anything short

would be merely discriminatory against sex workers and, defeatist with respect

to HIV/AIDS prevention among sex workers of West Bengal.

Thank you,

In Solidarity,

Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee

12/5 Nilmoni Mitra Street

Kolkata 700006, INDIA

Email: sonagachi@...

20.03.04