Freelance sex workers push up HIV rates in Phl

MANILA, Philippines - Sex workers engaged in the “freelance” flesh trade are driving up the number of people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the country, a United Nations body reported.

The United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) said sex workers, particularly those not employed in establishments, remain among those at high risk for HIV.

Teresita Bagasao, UNAIDS country coordinator, said they have observed an increase in cases of HIV among freelance sex workers.

“HIV cases are increasing among those type of sex workers who are working as freelancers, like those found in street, operating by phone or through text or not associated with (any) establishment,” she said.

While sex workers “employed” in establishments have already shown improvement, the emergence of freelancers have proven to be a challenge in reducing the spread of HIV in the country.

“The people in registered establishments, they are the only key population that has begun to show plateau (in HIV cases),” Bagasao said.

Based on the December 2011 Philippine HIV/AIDS Registry report, there were a total of 2,230 out of the 2,349 HIV cases recorded for the whole of last year that were transmitted through sexual contact. No data were available on how many were sex workers.

Bagasao said the challenge for the Department of Health and local governments at this time is how to duplicate the relative success in minimizing the spread of HIV among sex workers based in establishments.

“If there is one proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, it has been the constant provision of services by local and national governments to reach people in registered establishments,” she said.

She stressed the need for government to provide freelance sex workers the necessary services being given to establishment-based sex workers.