Although sex workers are severely affected by AIDS, in many parts of the world, they are also one of the groups most likely to respond well to HIV prevention campaigns. Prevention campaigns aimed at sex workers can not only reduce the number of HIV infections that result from paid sex; they can also play a vital role in restricting the overall spread of HIV in a country.

In order to make these campaigns most effective, we first need to look at the problems that lead these people into prostitution and the problems that sex workers may encounter in their lives, and examine why so many are becoming infected with HIV.

BLM takes a leading role as this story below shows:

Leah Mondiwa, a 21-year-old woman from Balaka found herself into sex work in 2004 after losing her parents. Life became hard for her and she fell in love with a man who took care of her education and other needs.

But after she became pregnant, the man denied responsibility and dumped her: a dark cloud fell into Leah's life again. She resorted to prostitution.

Three years down that tough road, Leah has seen so many friends contract the virus and many others lose their lives to AIDS.

Leah was introduced to BLM’s services in 2005 and has had constant counselling and testing since then.

Rather than simply stigmatizing sex workers, BLM believes the most effective approach to preventing HIV infections amongst this group is to respect them and view them as partners.

Involving sex workers directly in HIV prevention campaigns can raise their self-esteem and empower them, thereby encouraging them to look after their health and to access services that could help them.

In general, sex workers have relatively high numbers of sexual partners. This in itself does not necessarily increase their likelihood of becoming infected with HIV - if they use condoms consistently and correctly.

Leah is one of those sex workers who has benefited from BLM sex workers campaign on the consistent and correct use of condoms, particulary female condoms. She admits sex workers meet problems with male condoms:

"The reality is that most sex workers and their clients do not always use condoms. In some cases, this is because sex workers have no access to condoms, or are not aware of their importance.

"In other cases, sex workers are simply powerless to negotiate safer sex, even if they try to do so. Clients may refuse to pay for sex if they have to use a condom, and use intimidation or violence to enforce unprotected sex. They may also offer more money for unprotected sex - a proposal that can be hard to refuse if the sex worker is in desperate need of an income,” she says.

Leah stresses that there are always needless arguments with clients about using condoms. The female condom provides an effective barrier against drunken clients who refused to use condoms.

"I wish BLM could reach out to every sex worker and empower them with such information and services. This would significantly reduce the number of HIV infections,” she says.

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