Regulation of prostitution said beneficial to reducing HIV/AIDS prevalence

BY COREY ROBINSON Observer staff reporter robinsonc@jamaicaobserver.com

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

DESPITE being one of the groups most at risk of becoming infected with HIV/AIDS, commercial sex workers continue to be among the most elusive when it comes to HIV/AIDS education, Dr Kevin Harvey, director of the National HIV/STI Programme in the Ministry of Health said yesterday.

"The challenge we have in reaching them is that they move around," Harvey told Observer reporters and editors at the newspaper's weekly Monday Exchange meeting at its headquarters in Kingston.

"They (police) are cracking down on 'Back Road' (the Port Henderson strip in St Catherine known for commercial sex work) now but the sex workers simply move from Back Road to a different location, or from Kingston to a different parish."

He said the problem is further compounded when the activity is done in the privacy of persons' homes.

Harvey -- who last year came under strong public criticism when he suggested that taxing prostitutes could bring in an estimated $3 billion annually to government coffers -- is adamant that regulating the profession will effectively help in the prevention of HIV/AIDS.

He said that the estimated 10,000 commercial sex workers islandwide have a major role to play in the reduction of HIV infection in the country.

"I strongly believe that there needs to be a regulatory framework in order to control sex work in Jamaica; this has been the methodology used in a number of countries to control sex work, and if you look at some of the countries that have done it you'll see that the general (HIV/AIDS) population prevalence decreases significantly," he said.

Entailed in a regulatory framework, Harvey listed, would be the insistence on condom usage; the licensing of (massage) parlours and other venues; and the implementation of rules, for example that teenagers should not be involved in any activities in these venues.

He said that while the activities of some locations where prostitution is conducted are normally kept confidential, their impact on HIV/AIDS infections is widespread.

"It's estimated that a significant number of males are having sex with prostitutes. These persons who are having sex with prostitutes are also having sex with their wives and girlfriends. There are men who have sex with men but are also having sex with women, so everyone is equally affected," Harvey explained.

Head of the St Catherine South Police Division Superintendent Marlon Nesbeth has said prostitution is just one of the issues prompting the cops' clampdown on the Port Henderson strip.

"There have been some concerns raised in recent times about prostitution and other illegal activities taking place specifically in the Back Road area," said Nesbeth. "We are not only seeking to address instances of prostitution but also things such as human trafficking and activities such as the sale of drugs."

He said a series of operations have been launched in the area, and that in the latest, last Friday night, 18 persons were detained, including eight children who were charged with being in need of care and protection.