Ukraine: New outreach services launched for female sex workers

The Luhansk City Anti-AIDS Foundation, an Alliance Ukraine partner, has launched an HIV/STI prevention project specially tailored for female sex workers which promotes voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) as a way to build trust and spread information.

Early indications show the project is significantly improving HIV and sexual health knowledge and people are feeling more comfortable about taking an HIV test.

"Providing information to the client before and after the HIV test significantly reduces the fear usually connected to HIV testing and helps establish trusting relations with the women," said social worker, Alyona Lokteva from the Luhansk City Anti-AIDS Foundation.

HIV prevalence in Luhansk region is notably lower than in the rest of the country. However, in 2007, 546 new HIV cases were detected in the region – a 17% rise compared to the 10% increase in HIV incidence across the country – a worrying increase.

Anti-AIDS Foundation has been working in Luhansk in eastern Ukraine for eight years with groups vulnerable to HIV infection, including injecting drug users, commercial sex workers and prisoners.

Alvona explained their approach to VCT. "At one-to-one consultations we assure the women by citing Ukranian legislation that their status will never be made public. This way they are more willing to take the test and importantly they spread the information to their peers."

Participants in the project were found to have greater knowledge of the common symptoms of sexually transmitted infections and the sexual transmission of HIV. There was increased awareness about the clinics and outreach services that provide VCT and more people felt at ease about taking an HIV test at the CF Anti-AIDS facility or outreach service.

Alliance Ukraine has been running VCT projects in a number of regions since July 2006. In order to continue and scale up VCT services to female sex workers they recognised the need to improve the quality and appropriateness of the services, in partnership with local NGOS and government agencies.

This has been achieved through training clinical staff from the State Regional AIDS Centres, drug-dependency treatment and STI clinics, as well as AIDS service NGOs in order to provide the necessary information and skills to conduct VCT.

Since VCT services have been available in Ukraine around 30,000 people particularly vulnerable to HIV infection have received counselling and testing.