Carrying Condoms is a “Crime” for Burmese Women

Ms.Hong Sar (Independent Mon News Agency)

July 14, 2004

Burmese women can be jailed for a maximum of three years if military police find them carrying a condom, says Liz Hilton the spokesperson of EMPOWER, a Thai organisation that supports and educates sex workers.

Hilton, who is representing EMPOWER (Chiang Mai) at the 2004 AIDS Conference, said that women in Burma are at risk - regardless of whether they are sex workers, domestic workers, or teachers. "What women are saying is that the police assume any woman with a condom is a sex worker. And the result is that many women in Burma are now too afraid to carry condoms, in case the police arrest them".

Jamie Uhrig, a former employee of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Burma, agrees that, "It has become a crime for women to carry or sell condoms. But even though men buy condoms it is not a crime for them."

"Two years ago, the government issued a law to legalize the use of condoms but the problem is that only the police know this information. Women are still unaware of it. And prostitution itself is still illegal. That is one of the major problems."

Uhrig worked for two years in Burma on condom promotion, and harm production for drug users, as well as people living with HIV. During that time he says he learned a lot about condom law. "Burma still has many laws from British colonial times and the British were very hard on prostitution. They tried to suppress it in their own country and in the country they ruled."

Now, according to Uhrig, some Burmese military intelligence are themselves involved in the sex industry.

The Independent Mon News Agency (IMNA) based on the Thai-Burma border says that the number of sex workers in Burma is increasing, especially in Mon state, southern Burma and Tavoy division. HIV is also increasing.

A sex worker from Yee township in Mon State told IMNA that condoms are available where sex is for sale, but sometimes customers don't want to use them, especially when they get drunk.

Liz Hilton says, "The SPDC ruling regime in Burma claims to be responsible for the people. Part of that responsibility is providing health care. And part of health care is providing protection from diseases like HIV. This does not only mean providing condoms. It also means information. Protection is about enabling people to take control, and being able to use their rights".

Research has shown that HIV is on the increase in Burma. But no one can be sure how much it is increasing. There is a discrepancy between official statistics and those issued by international organizations and activists.

The UN's 2004 Global AIDS Report estimates that 330,000 people are infected with HIV/AIDS in Burma. Government statistics put the infection rate at just over 50% of that figure.

BBC's Larry Jagan agrees that statistics on AIDS in Burma are difficult to verify. Some analysts say that UN figures are two years out of date – specifically estimate that suggest only 2 percent of the population have HIV. But AIDS expert Dr. Chris Beyrer says that as much as 4 percent of the population could be infected. Some think it may be as high as 7 percent.

Whatever the figures, many people don't want to test for HIV. Most say the main reason for their reluctance is that they feel knowledge is pointless unless there is also treatment.

For more detail contact to [email protected]

See: www.monnews-imna.