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NOVEMBER 2007 — Behavioral surveillance surveys (BSS) of sex workers in Bangladesh indicate that condom use during commercial sex very low, while client turnover is very high. In addition, it is these clients who decide whether they will use (male) condoms during commercial sex.
BSS among men indicate high levels of sexual activities with a range of partners. Although HIV prevalence among sex workers and their clients is considered low, this rate will inevitably increase in the absence of comprehensive and strategically targeted interventions. And HIV prevention interventions that only focus only on sex workers are less effective than those that include their male clients. FHI/Bangladesh and FHI’s Asia Regional Program designed and commissioned this assessment, carried out between 2004 and 2005, to gain a better understanding of the significant role played by the clients of sex workers in the dynamics of HIV transmission in Bangladesh. It examined the sexual networks of men ages 18–49 and explored how to better motivate them with targeted interventions. In so doing, the assessment measured their knowledge, risk perceptions, and healthcare-seeking behavior, as well as the prevalence of STI symptoms and experience of substance abuse. The results of this assessment will be used to design new interventions, inform current project activities and surveillance studies, and contribute to efforts to model the epidemic in Bangladesh.
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