The Assam State AIDS Control Society (ASACS), an organisation run by the state government, has come up with a claim that immigrant sex workers in Assam are responsible for the spread of AIDS in the state. In a recent survey report filed by the ASACS, migrant sex workers have been claimed to be the cause for more than 70 per cent of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases (STD) in Assam.

An ASACS official told tehelka.com that the migrants - mainly Bangladeshi and Nepali sex workers -  practise unsafe sex, thereby largely contributing to the malaise. He said that Assam, where the number of AIDS cases is relatively low as compared to other North Eastern states like Manipur, is fast becoming the AIDS capital of the region.

The official said that 70.08 per cent of the patients have, according to the survey, contacted HIV  through sexual contact. Three-fourths of these infected individuals have had sexual encounters with immigrant prostitutes.

The ASACS official said while the official figure of the number of AIDS cases in the state is placed at 84, the total number is much higher, since most of the illegal immigrants involved in the trade have not been accounted for. He said that even the total number of HIV cases in the state which now number 318, is only an official figure and could be much higher because of the unaccounted number of cases.

“Till now, Manipur was the AIDS centre of this region. But as statistics would indicate, Assam will overtake it soon,” he said, adding, “Most of the female immigrants have not found much employment opportunities in the state. While some of them have been working as daily labourers and small and marginal farmers, a majority of them have taken up prostitution. This has led to a rise in the number of AIDS cases,” he said.

“Apart from local people, these sex workers mainly solicit truck drivers and handymen of commercial vehicles so the actual figure of the cases infected is not known,” he said. “Since most of these truck drivers do not belong to the state and only come to the state on an occasional contract basis, the level of damage done by these sex workers is much higher than what the actual figures may indicate.”

According to Dr Chiranjeev Kakati, director of the Northeastern Society for Promotion of Youth and Masses - an NGO working in this field - a survey conducted by their organisation showed that truckers who had frequent sex with migrant prostitutes almost always tested positive for HIV as these women are mostly all positive cases.

Even surveys carried out by other NGOs have shown a similar trend - between 70 and 75 per cent - of AIDS and HIV infection through unprotected sex with migrant sex workers. Most of these HIV and AIDS victims fall between the age group of 15 and 49 years.

According to P C Mishra, information officer of the ASACS, of the 84 full-blown AIDS cases in the area, 50 are from Guwahati. He said every month new cases have been coming up, which is indicative of such cases being on the rise. He said that between July and October 2000, as many as 13 new cases have been reported in Assam alone. “In July, the total number of AIDS cases numbered 71 while in October, this has increased to 84,” he said.

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