A number of young men have been engaging in unprotected sex with homeless HIV-infected female drug users who willingly sell their bodies for money to purchase drugs, forcing at least one counselling psychologist to issue a strong warning about this risky behaviour.

In sounding the warning, Howard Gough, counselling psychologist and manager of Patricia House, a drug rehabilitation centre, told the Sunday Observer that the men buying sex from these addicts were not homeless but were non-drug using young men who are involved in relationships and young boys who are experimenting with sex.

In fact, an independent study on homeless drug users in three Caribbean countries, including Jamaica, indicates that 75 per cent of females sampled engage in sex for money or drugs and only 11 per cent report using condoms consistently.

Gough said that in 2005, there were between 30 and 35 homeless female drug users in New Kingston, a figure estimated to be significantly higher now.

“This is why the public needs to pay attention and support what is being done here,” he said in reference to the Caribbean Treatment Action Group’s (CTAG) programme highlighting the needs of women who are HIV positive, homeless, and crack/cocaine users.

Gough said they used to reach the women through ‘a harm reduction’ approach when they operated a drop-in centre in the area, but that part of the programme was discontinued.

“We used to go to them not to tell them to stop selling sex or using drugs but the primary focus was to get them to increase condom use,” he said.

This was particularly important since the women are not able to negotiate condom use if they are high on drugs.

“They would sell $1,500 for the night, use that up in drugs, then sell more sex and buy more drugs and once they begin doing this they can no longer negotiate condom use ,” he explained.

Some have pimps who provide security to prevent robbery of the drugs or money.

While a few prostitute their bodies under duress from pimps, Gough said the majority do it voluntarily. Only a few of the pimps are themselves drug users.

CTAG, in association with Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVC), which declared October 15 an ‘annual access to treatment’ day in four Caribbean countries, are seeking to bring attention to HIV-positive groups that face unique challenges in gaining access to treatment, such as homeless, drug-using prostitutes.

A mother, who spoke with the Sunday Observer on condition of anonymity, said her daughter left their St Andrew home for Kingston’s streets where she sold sex to maintain her drug habit.

Although several attempts were made to get her into rehab and for her to stay home with her 11-year-old daughter, nothing worked.

“She would be gone for weeks and when her daughter ask for her, we never knew what to say,” said the mother, a teacher at a prominent high school.

She never knew her daughter was infected with HIV until she became seriously ill, and subsequently died.

She believes that given her daughter’s desperation for drugs, she would have infected anyone who was willing to have unprotected sex with her.

Now, the teacher feels guilty for the decision she and her husband took to withhold money from her, saying their stance may have driven their daughter to a life of prostitution to support the habit.

“This is an issue that women’s groups need to look at to lobby the government to help these women because they are as much victims as the men they are infecting,” she said.

Gough said the availability and affordability of drugs on our nation’s streets are driving the sex trade among homeless drug users.

He claimed that when the police unit ‘Kingfish’ was first established, it made a big dent in the local drug trade but stated that it was only short-lived since crack is now being sold for as little as $100.

New drug users, Gough said, spend $800 to $1,500 in one night, while chronic users – addicts for more than five years -spend between $1,500 and $5,000.

“They will do crack from 8:00 pm to 1:00 am nonstop,” he said.

Although having heard reports of homeless male drug addicts selling sex to buy drugs, Gough said he had no evidence to support this. Male addicts, he said, were more likely to wash cars, steal and beg for money.

Meanwhile, the women continue to die from AIDS as they are unable to adhere to treatment while living on the streets.

“How do you give ARVs (antiretrovirals) to a homeless person who must eat three meals a day?” he asked.

Although the National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA) recently announced a “Homeless Population: Tek It To Them” programme for drug users to receive health care, several women were at the Gulf when the Sunday Observer visited. Located in New Kingston, the Gulf is a squalid gully inside which many women live huddled together in makeshift cardboard box houses.

Information and research director at the NCDA, Ellen Campbell-Grizzle said the programme takes persons off the streets, bathes them, gives them food, and provides HIV medication as well as treatment for substance abuse.

However, at least one very frail-looking female drug addict with whom the Sunday Observer spoke, said the addicts had received “no help at all”.

“We just have to fend fi we self,” was all she would say, before begging some money.

Stacy Jarret of Jamaica AIDS Support for Life said the biggest challenge is to find food and lodging for these persons, especially those with AIDS.

“Even though we have access to medication, without food it doesn’t make sense and also because some drugs need to be stored in a refrigerator,” she said.