A Blind Spot in HIV Prevention - Female Anal Sex

via International HIV/AIDS Alliance in India

Dear All,

Alliance India works with local community groups and other Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) to take action on AIDS. We support them with technical expertise, policy work, and fundraising. The Alliance works across Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Manipur, Maharashtra and Delhi. Our interventions seek to address the issues of the most vulnerable and marginalised communities key to the epidemic.

As you all know, the National AIDS Control Programme, phase three (NACP-III) places high priority on preventive efforts. Sex workers constitute a sub-population where it targets such efforts. The HIV epidemic in India is largely due to unsafe interactions between sex workers and clients. About 86 percent HIV incidence in the country is from unprotected sex. Despite recognition of other unsafe sex worker-client interactions in India, the focus has largely remained on vaginal sex.

Specifically, the role of anal sex in HIV transmission has not received due attention. Hence, there is limited understanding about this important area of HIV prevention work.

We are making an attempt to supplement the existing data on anal sex among Female Sex Workers (FSW) in India through two stages of Operational Research. In the first stage, we collected data through Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and one-to-one interviews from 100 FSW in the city of Hyderabad, and two rural sites in Andhra Pradesh. In the second stage, we are now conducting a survey of 500 FSW in 10 districts of Andhra Pradesh.

Summarising the findings from our first stage of research, we have brought out an Issue Brief titled “A Blind Spot in HIV Prevention – Female Anal Sex”. 

IRMA encourages you to download this excellent report.