WHILE attention has been focused on men going overseas in search
of sex, a growing threat to HIV transmission is right here - in the
burgeoning number of illegal prostitutes operating in
Singapore.
As many as 1,000 of them could be plying their trade here,
according to Mr Daniel Tung, project coordinator at the DSC
(Department of STI Control) Clinic, and far outnumber licensed
prostitutes.
These women pose an unknown danger, as they are not screened for
disease, unlike legal sex workers, who undergo health checks every
month, including for HIV.
The majority of illegal workers are foreigners, many of them
teenagers. To try to educate them on the dangers of unprotected
sex, Mr Tung launched the Street Walkers Project under the auspices
of Action for Aids (AFA), a non-profit organisation,in
September.
Social workers have interviewed over 300 illegal prostitutes,
ranging from age 15 to 50, and distributed more than 500
condoms.
Their offer of free health screening for sexually-transmitted
diseases has been accepted by only three women so far.
Mr Tung said that illegal sex workers tend to be more popular than
prostitutes working in brothels because they often accede to
clients' preference not to use condoms.
They charge about the same amount, usually from $30 to $100,
although some 'high class' hookers, such as those who hang out at
Orchard Towers, could ask for as much as $500 a night.
Many are from China and Indonesia; others from countries like
Spain, Russia, and Vietnam. Some may even be domestic maids earning
extra bucks on their days off.
Unlicensed streetwalkers ply three main areas, he said - in
Geylang, around Orchard Towers and in Desker Road.
These are raided frequently by the police, who repatriate the
illegal foreign sex workers that are caught.
Some of the women told the AFA they had previously been
repatriated, but simply got a new passport under a different name
and were soon back - in business.
By Salma Khalik
Straits Times
Nov 29, 2004
