People take out an awareness rally in Guwahati on World AIDS Day. File picture

Guwahati, Dec. 8: The Assam State AIDS Control Society will approach Dispur with a project to rehabilitate sex workers to bring down cases of HIV infection in the state.

The project which is the brainchild of newly-appointed project director of the Society, S.K. Roy, will aim at engaging sex workers in other jobs so that they can quit their present occupation.

“It has been found that many sex workers have chosen the oldest profession out of economic compulsion. Given a choice of alternative professions, they will definitely quit their present one. It is very necessary to rehabilitate sex workers in other professions to cause a decline in the number of cases of HIV infections or AIDS. Many sex workers are reluctant or do not join anti-AIDS programmes fearing that they might be forced to quit the profession. Such reluctance is very dangerous as the sex workers carry the risk of spreading the virus among others,” Roy told this correspondent during a recent conversation.

According to an official data, there have been 8,580 HIV-positive cases detected in Assam from 1998 to September this year. Of these, 5,916 are full-blown AIDS cases. Transmission of HIV virus is the highest among the population engaged in sex-related activities. Though Assam is a low-prevalence state, it is considered a highly vulnerable one considering its location, socio-economic and cultural factors.

As the state is the gateway to all the other northeastern states and Guwahati being a major transit point for people who are mobile and form the floating population, the geographic position of the state, in particular, predisposes vulnerability. Also, it borders the high-prevalence states of Manipur and Nagaland.

“We will discuss with the state government and NGOs how to rehabilitate sex workers. If the government approves the project, we will train sex workers on skill development and create opportunities for self-employment,” Roy said.

The project will also extend financial assistance to sex workers to start something of their own to generate income.

Judge of Karnataka High Court, Justice N. Kumar, has recently said that society must change its mindset towards sex workers. He said they should be considered “victims” and not treated as “accused”. Kumar said those who left this profession are forced to return as they are unable to get proper rehabilitation.

Halima Begum (name changed), a sex worker in the Ganeshguri area of the city, said the government should help them become economically independent. “If that is done, no poor woman will be forced to enter the flesh trade,” she said.