PHA-Exchange> Prostitutes Learn Kama Sutra To Combat AIDS In India

[Aviva]

From: "Hoang t. Dieu-Hien" <dieuhien at u.washington.edu>

Prostitutes Learn Kama Sutra To Combat AIDS In India
Friday, January 9, 2004

A doctor is teaching prostitutes to use Kama Sutra in their work as a
way to
prevent the spread of AIDS in India, where 5 million people are
HIV-positive, according to a Los Angeles Times report.

Prostitutes can seduce clients with traditional entertainment such as
dancing, singing, yoga and herbal oil massages, making them less likely
to
resist when asked to put on a condom.  Also, shorter sex reduces the
risk of
injuries to the skin that can spread HIV.

Since mid-August,  a model, a
beautician, a social worker and a madam skilled in persuading
prostitutes,
have been spreading the virtues of the Kama Sutra in Calcutta through a
free
six-month course.

So far, about 20 prostitutes have joined, meeting twice a week in
brothels
for instruction, sometimes with the help of volunteer clients.

Although prostitution is illegal in India, it is widely tolerated, the
Times
reports, with Calcutta having the biggest share of the country's
biggest sex
trade.

According to the United Nations, at least 300,000 Indians were infected
with
HIV in the last year - about 6 percent of the estimated number of new
infections globally (Paul Watson, Los Angeles Times, Jan. 6).