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Prostitutes in Kabul, the capital of
Afghanistan, have organized into an underground self-help network to avoid
detection by the state, stop the spread of disease, and identify abusive
customers. The world of prostitution by women and men in Afghanistan is hidden,
solely known anecdotally through the sex workers themselves. In Afghanistan,
adulterers can be stoned to death, and the sexes are exactingly segregated. Sex
workers have particular risks in this country where sex education is
practically nonexistent, and families generally kill female relatives for acts
such as premarital sex. One female prostitute has been visiting beauty salons,
often fronts for the prostitution trade, to teach other prostitutes about using
condoms and getting tested for STDs.
Male prostitutes also are at great
risk for violent attacks and have little recourse. According to General
Mohammed Zaher, head of the police criminal investigation department, the Kabul
police force is “cracking down on crimes” such as alcohol consumption,
gambling, sodomy, and prostitution. Convicted prostitutes usually face
six-month jail sentences. Though solicitation is illegal, their clients tend
not to be arrested. However the sex trade remains busy in Kabul, and is
estimated to include 6,000 female and 4,000 male prostitutes, although these
numbers are not confirmed.
The prostitutes’ self-help group
uses a compartmentalized phone tree, in which each person is responsible for
notifying an assigned list of people. Within the group, peer educators teach
fellow sex workers about condoms and STD prevention. HIV is rare in
Afghanistan, and none of the sex workers in the network have tested
HIV-positive, according to the doctors who conducted the tests; however, other
STDs are a problem, specifically hepatitis C, which is endemic in Afghanistan.
Kabul prostitutes distribute literature that emphasizes the risk of contagion
with unprotected sex. Their pamphlets also emphasize regular testing. Even the
doctors who perform the testing are reluctant participants. They are only being
employed because they cannot find other work; they risk the community’s wrath
and possible attack if their participation in testing sex workers is
discovered.
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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