 |
 |
| Issue 2, 2009 |
|
|
|
Download Pdf |
|
|
|
 |
| Issue 1, 2009 |
|
|
|
Download Pdf |
|
|
|
 |
| Issue 3, 2008 |
|
|
|
Download Pdf |
|
|
|
 |
| Issue 2, 2008 |
|
|
|
Download Pdf |
|
|
|
 |
| Issue 1, 2008 |
|
|
|
Download Pdf |
|
|
|
|
 |
| Issue 4, 2007 |
|
|
|
Download Pdf |
|
|
|
 |
| Issue 3, 2007 |
|
|
|
Download Pdf |
|
|
|
 |
| Issue 2, 2007 |
|
|
|
Download Pdf |
|
|
|
 |
| Issue 1, 2007 |
|
|
|
Download Pdf |
|
|
|
 |
| Issue 4, 2006 |
|
 |
|
Download Pdf |
|
|
|
 |
| Issue 3, 2006 |
|
|
|
Download Pdf |
|
|
|
 |
| Issue 2, 2006 |
|
|
|
Download Pdf |
|
|
|
 |
| Issue 1, 2006 |
|
|
|
Download Pdf |
|
|
|
 |
| Issue 1, 2005 |
|
|
|
Download Pdf |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Issue 3, 2008
|
|
|
Hot Off the Press
|
|
The wisdom of whores
Revati Chawla
No two words can capture a reader’s attention as effectively
as the words free and sex. I think the word whores should
be added to the list. The title of Elizabeth Pisani’s book is
more focussed on grabbing a reader’s attention than it is
about the wisdom of whores, bureaucrats, brothels or the
business of AIDS. But once you do start to read it: the book
is an interesting and easy study, albeit a little repetitive.
Based on her experiences working as an epidemiologist
and consultant to Family Health International (FHI) and
UNAIDS among others, her book encourages policy
makers and programmers to take a closer look at what
works and what does not, in the fight against AIDS and
to base interventions on scientific research and evidence.
She encourages leadership within governments and in the
UN to take on the tough issues, and the unpopular issues,
even though they won’t get them the votes. Experience
has shown that a few key actions have been successful in
preventing the spread of HIV in the region and these should
be the priority for action.
For those working in the field, her messages are nothing
new: harm reduction works, particularly in prison settings,
abstinence programmes are a waste of money, preventing
HIV transmission among sex workers and their clients is
the best way of preventing the spread of the virus to the
general population, and that Asia will not face a generalised
epidemic like the one in Africa.
However, she does touch upon a few interesting issues such
as the effectiveness of peer-based education and outreach
programmes; they don’t always work,
especially among groups of sex workers
who are actually in competition with
one another rather than part of a
community. Peer-based outreach works
best among communities who consider
themselves part of a collective, like
the gay (and lesbian) community. Her
description of and interaction with the
waria community in Indonesia is also
interesting and strikingly similar to
the Hijra community in India. Waria, a
term for transgender people is derived
from the words wanita (woman) and
pria (man). Many waria sell sex for
a living, mainly because of the high
stigma against them and the limited job
options open to transgendered people.
As long as society looks down on such persons, they will
have limited livelihood options, and they will continue
to sell sex to survive. One cannot address HIV without
looking at this aspect of society as well.
However, the book is contentious on some counts: Firstly,
the author believes that women are not trafficked into sex
work. While I believe this to be true to some extent, one
cannot ignore the fact that in South Asia, many minor girls
are trafficked into sex work. In fact globally, an estimated
800,000 people are trafficked each year, of which women
account for 80%. Of this 80%, over one fourth are minor
girls. Majority of women and girls are trafficked for sex
making them increasingly vulnerable to
HIV; and the younger they are the more
vulnerable. Those who continue to stay
in sex work by choice when adults, is
a different issue, but the number of
young girls being trafficked into sex
work is real. Studies such as one by
J Silverman (2006) found that the mean
age of girls trafficked into sex work
from Nepal to India had fallen from
14 -16 years old in 1986 to 10 -14 years
old in 1997. Of these, the younger
they are, the more vulnerable they are
to HIV, with 60% prevalence among
rescued sex-trafficked Nepalese girls
and women aged 7 -14 years compared
with 31% prevalence among the 18-32
age group.
Secondly, yes HIV is a health issue, but it is also a develop-
ment issue and it is fuelled by poverty and inequality. Unless
these foundations change, unless the way men and women
relate to one another change, HIV is not likely to disappear.
By introducing HIV and sexuality education into school
curricula, this change in gender norms and the foundations
of the relationship between men and women is being
challenged. It may not help prevent new HIV infections in
the short term, but it is a long term investment in society
and particularly in women: so what if it is using HIV
money? After all, there is money in HIV unlike in women’s
health, maternal mortality or women’s sexuality.
Yes, there is big money in HIV, and we are constantly
reminded of this in the book. The money may be a little
less than there was a few years ago, but still there is money.
Along with money comes the corruption, the underhand
deals and kickbacks. But this is true of any sector, not just
HIV.
I can’t help thinking that the book is a Westerner’s
perspective of an issue meant for Western readers, and any
persons referred to as experts are also of that genre; with
the expertise of the region edited out. As a South Asian
working on HIV in the region, I have seen my fair share of
Western experts, most of them overrated and overpaid,
fly in for a few days, do their ‘magic’ and write up reports
that have no relevance to the complex reality of the region.
The other big mistake is to generalise one Asian country’s
experience to the rest. The author’s main perspective of
Asia comes from Indonesia and I would be cautious in
generalising the Indonesian experience to apply to the sub
continent.
Although the wisdom of whores isn’t really their wisdom,
but rather an interpretation of the lessons the author has
learnt from travels in the region and interaction with
marginalised communities, for someone who has not
worked on HIV, the book comes across as an eye-opener
and is worth a read. Full of politically incorrect words
such as whores and drug addicts, the books is written in a
popular anecdotal style with easy to understand language
that someone who is not a development professional can
easily relate to, pick up and enjoy.
If you work on HIV however, be warned, it may irritate
you. Not only could it have said exactly the same thing in
less than half the length, but you may also land up feeling
like me: a little patronised.
Reference:
Silverman JG, Decker MR, Gupta J, Maheshwari A, Patel
V, Raj A. HIV Prevalence and Predictors among Rescued
Sex Trafficked Women and Girls in Mumbai, India. Journal
of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes (JAIDS) 2006;
43:588-93.
Revati Chawla is an activist working on HIV/AIDS, gender
and sexuality issues in the Asia Pacific region. She is based
in Sri lanka. |
|
|
|
