Criminalizing prostitution and stigmatizing sex workers
interfere with HIV prevention, The Economist reports. According
to a 2008 independently commissioned U.N. report, the sex trade
is the main driver of HIV in Asia, where 350,000 people are
infected each year. Preventing the spread of HIV through the sex
industry is best accomplished when sex workers have access to
condoms and education. Conversely, closing brothels makes it
more difficult for sex workers to share prevention information
with one another, and law enforcement in some countries treats
possession of condoms as evidence of involvement in
prostitution, which discourages sex workers from acquiring and
using them. The United Nations estimates that only one third of
Asia's sex workers receive education in HIV prevention. To read
the Economist article, click here.