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Greek authorities are cracking down
on unlicensed brothels, where prostitutes who are working illegally likely are
not undergoing mandated HIV tests.
Prostitution is legal in Greece, and
brothels are licensed by the government. Officials believe a rise in HIV cases
in the country may be due to illegal prostitution and an increase in injecting
drug use.
In recent days, medical tests on
more than 100 prostitutes conducted by Greece’s Center for Disease Control and
Prevention identified 17 HIV-positive cases. Hundreds more women will be
screened during the coming weeks. Health officials are ramping up testing of
prostitutes working in central Athens, home to more than 300 brothels currently
operating without a license.
Thousands of Greek men have placed
panicked calls to health centers after the names and photos of 12 of the 17
women - who hail from Greece, Russia, and Bulgaria - were published on the
Greek police’s website. Human rights advocates have slammed the decision to
identify the women, noting it is unclear whether the prostitutes were aware
they are HIV-positive.
Health Minister Andreas Loverdos
said that following Sunday’s elections, he plans to call on the next government
to criminalize unprotected sex at brothels. He compared the situation to a
“time bomb, and one that hits the whole of Greek society since many of these
men have wives and families.”
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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