Sex workers at Gulab Bagh in Purnea wait for customers. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Purnea, Sept. 9: Sex workers in rural Bihar are hooked to female condoms giving regular unprotected sex no chance to unleash the fatal blow of HIV AIDS.

The situation has been so commendable that now when a sex worker goes to a market to get the necessities for herself, she doesn’t forget to get packets of female condom.

Female condom has become the most important thing for the sex workers based here, who claimed that they know the hazards of HIV AIDS.

Whenever a customer refuses to use a condom, these workers, instead of turning them down, use female condoms that keep both the profession and health in good condition.

When The Telegraph visited Gulab Bagh area in Purnea it found hundreds of sex workers aged between 14 and 20 years are aware of AIDS and no longer accept unprotected sex. Their customers mostly comprise truck drivers, who travel long distances and stay away from their family for a long period.

Initially, the sex workers were not ready to speak to The Telegraph but after convincing them a few agreed to talk.

Pinki Rani (name changed) said: “Various types of customers visit here and most of them do not like to use condoms. Our boss has strictly asked us not to have any physical relation with anybody without using condoms. Earlier, we were not aware of female condoms but after we came to know about it, we make sure that we use them if the customer refuses to use one.”

The female sex workers have their own way of attracting customers. They sit in wooden huts on a tool and keep looking out for prospective customers. The business is active round-the-clock as truck drivers keep plying on the road.

Another sex worker, Shabnam (name changed) said: “Why should we feel shy about buying female condoms? If the customers are not interested in using it then we have to use it. If we go for unprotected sex, we will be affected by HIV. It is also not possible for us to come out of the profession because we are not accepted by the society. Therefore, we take such measures so that we can safely continue with the business.” A number of NGOs in the area are involved in educating the female sex workers about the importance of protected sex, especially female condoms.

Arun Kumar Singh, the convener of NGO Beti Bachao Andolan, said: “We always try to educate these girls, most of them are trafficked from different places, including Nepal, and brought here. We regularly try to convince them about the importance of female condoms, when the customers refuse to use a condom. Now, almost all the girls use female condoms, as most of their customers do not want to use condoms.”

Singh added that most of the female condoms are distributed free-of-cost under AIDS awareness programmes.

On what steps the police are taking to tackle the present situation, Purnea superintendent of police Amit Lodha said: “We have tried to rehabilitate these sex workers. However, after a few months, they return to the same place saying they could not find another job. We are also taking the help of NGOs to spread the message about sexually transmitted diseases.”