Vulnerable GroupsSome groups are particularly vulnerable to HIV and initiatives aimed at reducing levels of infection need to address their needs specifically. Adolescents According to the 2001 National Census, 36.3 million Bangladeshis are adolescents (10-19 years of age) constituting 26.5 per cent of the population. Knowledge about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV is limited among this age group as the national baseline study for the Adolescents Reproductive Health programme showed. A baseline survey for the Bangladesh adolescent girls’ livelihood Kishori Abhijan Project, conducted by the Population Council and UNICEF in May 2002, found that among married adolescent girls, only 18 per cent knew about HIV/AIDS. Of the unmarried adolescent girls, 29 per cent knew about STIs and HIV/AIDS. Among unmarried adolescent boys, 30 per cent knew about HIV/AIDS.
Drug users Needle sharing continues to be routine among IDUs and the number of people who are starting to inject drugs is rising. In the past years, some 10-20 per cent of the drug users have become new injectors. In the south-east of the country, 60 per cent of all IDUs have only started injecting within the last two years. Sex workers As for other vulnerable groups, it is difficult to estimate the number of women involved in commercial sex in Bangladesh. However, it is known that condom use among clients of female sex workers (FSW) is the lowest in Asia: only 2 per cent for brothel- and street-based sex workers, and 4 per cent for those based in hotels, while the number of clients per week is high. Males having sex with males (MSM) MSM are largely hidden due to the powerful stigma and discrimination they face in Bangladesh. However, it is now assumed that MSM is more prevalent than previously believed and it spans nearly all age groups and socio-economic backgrounds. Similar behaviour patterns to those observed among FSW are seen among those MSM who sell sex: low condom use and high numbers of sexual partners, with an average of 8-11 clients per week. External migrant and trafficked people According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Dhaka, the official number of people who migrate annually from Bangladesh to seek employment in other countries is approximately 250,000. However, the number of people who depart illegally is estimated to be at least the same number again, and many of these are trafficked, either against their will or without a full disclosure of the conditions of employment they will face abroad.
|
