Sri Lanka’s economic crisis has seen more people turn to sex work, said a leading doctor on the island, which in turn has led to a growing number of sexually transmitted diseases being detected.
According to Sri Lanka’s National STD/AIDS Control Programme, 4,556 HIV patients were recorded in the first quarter of 2022, up 11.8 percent from 4,073 in 2021 first quarter.
In the second quarter of 2022, 4,686 HIV patients have been identified, up 13.2 percent from 4,142 in 2021.
Geethani Samaraweera (Consultant Venereologist) National Coordinator of the Sri Lanka Sexual Transmitted Diseases Unit (STDU) told EconomyNext that various organisations had reported “an increase in sex workers” in recent months.
“It can be due to the economic situation in the country,” Samaraweera continued. “Usually, sex workers in our country try to practice safe sex and a majority of them practice safety methods when they engage in sexual activities.
“The new ones are young and they are not knowledgeable about the safety methods. They are less experienced and do not know how to convince the clients to use safety methods.
“And most of them are coming to make quick cash to provide food for their families in these economic situations therefore they can’t demand the clients sometimes as well.”
“Normally when these stressful times come the number of people that go to these massage parlors and sex workers increase,” Samaraweera continued.
“Those can also be possible contributing factors as well for this increase in patients’ numbers.”
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Earlier this year, the Telegraph reported that women in Sri Lanka who were formerly employed in the textiles and garment industry, were being forced to turn to prostitution and sex work, as an economic crisis on the island continues to impact on livelihoods.