HIV/AIDS Prevention Program

Bangladesh initiated an early response to the HIV epidemic starting in the mid-1980s. Since then, the response has been enhanced considerably, and many HIV prevention interventions among the most at-risk populations and youth in general are being undertaken. In accordance with the UNAIDS/WHO guidelines, HIV surveillance in Bangladesh has focused on selected groups of individuals known to be most-at-risk for acquiring HIV infection. They include sex workers, injecting drug users (IDUs), males who have sex with males (MSM), and Hijra (male transgender). However, the level of understanding among general people of Bangladesh is limited regarding how HIV is transmitted and how they can protect themselves. In most cases, people with HIV/AIDS face social discrimination and eventually become detached from their families and society.

The history of the HIV/AIDS prevention program at CSS goes back to 2002 when CSS in partnership with CARE-Bangladesh launched a project to educate people on HIV/AIDS. Subsequently it was scaled up in 2007 and implemented across Khulna, Bagerhat, Jashore and Faridpur districts, focusing on raising community awareness regarding HIV/AIDS prevention. Side by side, curative services were offered to people affected by sexually transmitted disease (STD) through six Drop-in-Centers (DIC). The recipients of such services were primarily brothel based and floating sex workers, and their clients. The project also focused on the rehabilitation of brothel based Commercial Sex Workers (CSW). The interested CSWs were liberated from the brothel and given various skill development training. Later they received support to find a job or to start a small business and a piece of land to build a house. However, for the phase-out of donor support, CSS implemented this project with its own funds in a limited scale at Baniashanta brothel, Mongla from 2016-2021 to serve the commercial sex workers. Later, in 2022 the project is again extended for another year in three sub-districts (Bagerhat, Mongla and Dacope) with the funding support of Gilead Sciences, Inc. The project works with brothel based Commercial sex workers and transport workers (clients of sex workers) and focuses on education on healthy and hygienic lifestyle for the people at risk and elimination of stigma through awareness campaign.