HIV/AIDS

Why are female factory workers at risk for HIV/AIDS?

There are several reasons why factory workers are more vulnerable to sexually transmitted Infections (STIs). In some cases, female factory workers are more likely to engage in sex before marriage, or to find a marriage partner in a male factory worker. Both male and female factory workers are more vulnerable to STIs within the context of an industrialized area as compared with the rural villages they come from due to increased exposure to risk combined with a lack of knowledge of STI prevention. Another issue is the prevalence of sexual harassment and abuse in some cases, which can contribute to spreading STIs including HIV/AIDS. Third, some factory workers become drug users, sometimes of intravenous drugs, which may create further opportunities for infection. Finally, it is not uncommon for women working in factories to have husbands who have migrated abroad for work. Migration is seen to contribute to increased risk of HIV/AIDS as well.

What is HERproject doing to address this risk?

HERproject awareness raising focuses on prevention of the sexual transmission of HIV/AIDS in countries where this is a significant risk. In countries where sexual transmission is a less common risk, our awareness raising focuses on other methods of transmission, such as mother-to-child and blood transfusion, as this is an effective means of engaging women who may feel the disease is “irrelevant” to them. Once some trust has been established it may be possible to have more challenging conversations around pre-marital sex or the risk of multiple partners by the woman or her husband or boyfriend.