Sexual Behaviour in India with High Risk of HIV/AIDS

The term ‘sex worker’ refers to a wide array of people who sell sex and money who work in a variety of environments. They include women men and transgender people and people who many work either full time or part time, in brothels or bars, on the street or from. Sex workers usually have a high number of sexual partners. This means that if they do become infected that if they do become infected with HIV, they can potentially pass it on to multiple clients. According to the Commission on AIDS in Asia 'men who buy sex are the single-most powerful driving force in Asia's HIV epidemics'. There are an estimated 10 million sex workers in Asia, and 75 million male clients. It is estimated that more than 90% of HIV transmission in India is related to unprotected sexual intercourse or sharing of injecting equipment between an infected and an uninfected individual. The government estimates that 5% of sex workers nationally are infected with HIV, which is fifteen times higher than the overall HIV prevalence. Factors that heighten sex workers' HIV vulnerability include limited access to health, social and legal services; sexual exploitation and trafficking; harmful, or a lack of, protective legislation and policies; gender-related differences and inequalities; limited access to information and prevention means; stigmatization and marginalization; exposure to lifestyle-associated risks such as violence, mobility and substance abuse. So these people need access to affordable sexually transmitted infection prevention and care, voluntary counselling and testing and other