Effects of a safe sex intervention on the commercial sexual behavior of brothel sex workers in Bangladesh.

Sex workers are considered as one of the high-risk groups in the transmission of STIs and HIV/AIDS, especially in developing countries. We investigate whether an intervention aimed at improving the knowledge of female brothel sex workers (FSWs) in Bangladesh on STIs and HIV/AIDS, as well as improving their skills to negotiate with clients about condom use, can lead to safer commercial sexual behaviour, such as higher condom usage. Using a randomized controlled trial, we find that there is generally no improvement in the sexual behaviour of FSWs upon intervention. We examine several factors that might explain this result and find that it is consistent with FSWs internalising the stigma associated with sex work and the general lack of knowledge about STIs/HIV among male clients in Bangladesh.