Mohammad Khairul Alam

Globally, Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are increasing when more people have started entering into multiple sexual relationships. They might not consider it is immoral but the fact remains that such people are more prone to sexual diseases. People who have a STD are at a greater risk of getting HIV and of spreading HIV to others. People with STDs should seek prompt treatment and avoid sexual intercourse or practice safer sex. However, if unfortunately one gets infected by any sexual disease, it is better to start ailment as soon as possible for these diseases have the potential to ruin his/her entire life. People often are embarrassed and worried to disclose their problem to others even to their relative or friends but they fail to realize that delaying diagnose is compromising with their life.

Worldwide, rate of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among adolescents is soaring: one-third of the 340 million new STDs/STI each year occur among people under 25 years of age. Each year, more than one in every 20 adolescents contracts a curable STDs/STI. More than half of all new HIV infections occur in people between the ages of 15 to 24 years. The sexual health needs for adolescent girls are generally overlooked, Stigma and vulnerability affects particular groups of men as well as women. Although men generally have more access to information on sexual issues than women, and more decision-making power regarding sexual behavior, Access to information, and treatment for other infections which facilitate the transmission of HIV and onset of AIDS, including STDs/STI, are limited because of weak public health services, health workers’ negative attitude, and the high cost of treatment.

Certainly, adolescent girls’ prostitution is booming in Bangladesh. Adolescent girls engage or are forced into prostitution for trafficking or socio-economic reasons. But in addition to sexual exploitation, they face all sorts of violence. Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallyan Foundation carried out a recent field investigation, the research confirmed that adolescents girls’ prostitution is widespread in Bangladesh, although hidden at first sight from foreigners, especially in Dhaka city. Adolescent girls involved in prostitution are to be found in residence homes converted into brothels or in hotels. The majority are aged 15-18.

There are also several groups of adolescent people with increased vulnerability for HIV transmission because of their social status. Among the growing number of street children or street girls, the risk of infection is exacerbated due to a high prevalence of risky sexual behaviors and injecting drug use. Although the growing public awareness of the existence of the HIV crisis, the actual knowledge of the problem is superficial, particularly among adolescents. Their understanding of the modes of transmission and prevention methods is incomplete and often misconstrued. Recent research in North region’s three districts in Bangladesh by Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallyan Foundation & L.R.B Foundation has shown that while providing HIV information, discussions in safe-sex and gender issue may be discouraged for young girls and women because of the ordinary belief that to inform them about sexuality and safe-sex is to encourage sexual activity. Even though that for fear of encouraging sexual activity, mothers deny imperative information about sexual-life, safe sex, reproductive health information from their daughters.

Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallyan Foundation’s reveal extremely high levels of infections among adolescent girls, which are higher than those for boys. This is mainly because of the fact that at young age, boys have sex with girls of similar age, while girls have relations with older men, who are more likely to be infected. Sexual harassment of schoolgirls by older men sometime may be the cause of HIV infection. Poverty also drives many adolescent girls to accept relationships with ‘sugar daddies’ (older men who are prepared to give money, goods or favors in return for sex).

After several investigate on sex industries have identified more then 1,00,000 various category commercial and non-commercial sex workers in Bangladesh who are most of them illiterate. Some female brothel sex workers have an average of 20-25 clients per week, Female hotel sex worker meet an average of 44 clients in a week, the highest number of clients in commercial sex than any other counties in South-East Asian region. Moreover the residence sex workers and floating sex workers are present in large number though the precise distribution and prevalence is still unknown. By a study ‘Rainbow Nari O Shishu Kallyan Foundation’ also found that a substantial proportion of some young and single textile, garment workers, tea garden female workers, house key-per supplement their low wages by occasional prostitution. Consensual sex or non-commercial sex exists in rural societies, particularly when husbands are absent for a long time.

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