Also vulnerable are the young women recruited by those who run the sex trade. Recruiters come from the cities to rural areas, luring women with false promises of work. In many cases, they become infected with a sexually transmitted disease by men who believe the myth that sexual contact with virgins cures infections. Once infected with a sexually transmitted disease, the young women are 8 to 10 times more vulnerable to the HIV virus. Consistent use of condoms, although it is one of the most effective weapons against the spread of HIV, is very difficult to promote.
Prostitutes face a real dilemma when they try to implement protective measures.
Several international drug manufacturers are now offering drugs to treat AIDS at much lower prices. However, unless public health systems in developing countries are strengthened, the benefits of AIDS drugs at lower prices could be undone by misuse or ineffective distribution, and even lead to the development of new strains of drug-resistant viruses. In the red-light district of Calcutta called Sonagachi, they challenge any pimp or madam who insists on a customer's right to have sex without a condom. As a result, condom use has increased from 3 percent in 1992, when they began this practice, to 90 percent in 1998. Those who ignore the tremendous importance of education do it at their own risk.