Chan RK, Goh A, Goh CL, Archibald C, Wong ML; International Conference on AIDS.

Int Conf AIDS. 1993 Jun 6-11; 9: 701 (abstract no. PO-C14-2904).

Department of STD Control, National Skin Centre, Singapore.

OBJECTIVES: To make safe sexual practices universal and to enhance sex worker control over transactions with clients in sex work establishments in Singapore. METHOD: Sexual transmission is responsible for over 90% of HIV infections in Singapore, contact with sex workers has been identified to be a major risk activity for HIV. Development of the "Project Protect" involved focus group discussions with brothel operators, sex workers and law enforcement officers. Sex workers identified in earlier KABP studies to have achieved 100% condom use with their clients were enlisted to develop negotiating skills training. Posters and stickers with the message "Use Condoms", wallet-sized cards with instructions and diagrams on the correct use of condoms, and pamphlets on common STDs and HIV/AIDS were printed for distribution. Workshop sessions were held first for brothel keepers and then for sex workers at the only public STD clinic in Singapore. Each session for 20 to 30 attendees lasted 3 hours, and included talks on STDs, HIV/AIDS, correct techniques on condom use, a video tape on negotiation skills, and finally a role-playing and discussion session. Languages of instruction included Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien, Malay, Tamil and English. RESULTS: A total of 260 brothel keepers and 1226 sex workers attended workshops between May to October 1992. 4000 posters, 12,000 stickers, 50,000 wallet-sized cards, 11,000 pamphlets and 10,000 condoms were distributed. Inexpensive good quality condoms were made available for purchase. 84% of sex workers and 95% of brothel keepers fully understood the STD/AIDS talks; 88% of sex workers and 95% of brothel keepers fully understood the video. 70% of both groups wanted more sessions in future. Condom sales at the clinic rose from 749 a month at the beginning of the project to over 18,000 at the end of 6 months. CONCLUSION: Intervention programmes aimed at increasing safe sex establishments should target operators, clients and law enforcement officers in addition to sex workers. Accurate information on STD/AIDS, negotiation skills training, the involvement of target audiences in the development and assessment of the programme and the provision of good quality inexpensive condoms are vital for such interventions. "Project Protect" continues as an ongoing programme.

Publication Types:

• Meeting Abstracts

Keywords:

• Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
• Condoms
• HIV Infections
• HIV Seropositivity
• Humans
• Negotiating
• Prostitution
• Sexually Transmitted Diseases
• Singapore
• education
• prevention & control
• therapy

Other ID:

• 93336823

UI: 102206202

From Meeting Abstracts