Commercial sex workers are exposed to HIV/AIDS due to irresponsible clients who are reluctant to safe sex.

A mini-survey by Rwanda Today shows that female sex workers on the streets of Kigali are exposed to HIV/AIDS because their clients prefer raw sex.

The women said it is difficult to negotiate safe sex due to desperation for money.

“One night, I had decided to go home with a man who was to give me Rwf30,000 when he uses a condom. When I arrived home, I pulled it out from my bag and he was surprised. I reminded him of a deal we had but he added more money and we decided not to use it.”

"Most of the time, people don’t respect us. Even when you buy a condom in a shop, somebody may ask you awkward questions,” said a commercial sex worker.

According to a study by Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC) released in October 2020, female sex workers are disproportionately affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

The study showed the estimated population size of the street and venu-based female sex workers in Rwanda ranges between 8,853 and 23,495.

The 2014 report from Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids (UNAIDS) also shows the prevalence of HIV among female sex workers was as high at 46 percent in the country.

The RBC study shows criminalization of sex work, discrimination and stigma keep female sex workers are hidden.

“Sex workers are mostly unidentifiable during daytime and some hold other occasional jobs, and their work is usually done at night in nightclubs, hotels, bars and streets. Some proportion of female sex workers are home-based and these individuals are even more difficult to include in surveillance work or to engage in HIV prevention and treatment services..” RBC says.

Dr Aflodis Kagaba, executive director of Health Development Initiative, said interventions are needed to reduce the number of women engaging in sex for money as it puts them at risk of getting infected and transmitting HIV.

Yet, for many female sex workers, engaging in sex for exchange of money is done out of desperation.

Safe sex is the least of the concerns in cases where the client pays more money for unprotected sex.

“I gave birth at age 18 years while working as a maid in this city. Immediately, I took the responsibility as soon as possible with nothing except my body.

So, I use it (sex) to earn the basic needs for me and my child. The poverty has led me in commercial sex and I do not use a condom because I’m supposed to bring a bread on table…” said a female sex worker.

She added that it is difficult to negotiate safe sex because clients prefer unprotected sex.

For her part, another sex worker who has four children from different men, says she started engaging in sex in exchange for money after being raped and infected with HIV which resulted into her being chased from home by her parents.