Russian television viewers were amused but hardly shocked when state-run television aired a videotape in February showing a man resembling Russia's top prosecutor, Yuri Skuratov, having sex with two prostitutes. Olga said she began selling her body last year, after the hair salon where she worked trimmed her hours to just a handful a week because of Russia's economic crisis. Venereal disease rates have soared since the Soviet collapse. Syphilis cases in Russia increased 50-fold from 1990 to 1998, according to World Health Organization estimates. AIDS, which appeared relatively late in Russia, also is on the rise.
Doctors say the main problem is the lack of sex education.
The Russian Orthodox Church, which holds significant sway over Russian politics, has opposed sex education in schools. Inc. All Rights Reserved.