Petrina Francis, Staff Reporter
CHIN
LASCELLES CHIN, chairman of Lasco Group of Companies, says the society should be more practical and accept commercial sex workers in an effort to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS in Jamaica.
Citing Thailand as an example of a nation where the profession is accepted, though not legalised, Mr. Chin said that country has been able to achieve 100 per cent condom use among its sex workers.
"We must stop sweeping these things under the carpet," he said yesterday. "Sex is a big income earner, it is big in the workforce and if we can ... deal with that mentally and treat those people as human beings ... then we can also have 100 per cent condom use."
Mr. Chin was addressing journalists during a press briefing at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, New Kingston. He was among six advocates who visited Thailand last month on a study tour.
"There is a fair amount of sex trade that goes on in Jamaica. It does happen. It is the oldest profession and we need to accept it," he said. Mr. Chin however cautioned that he was not advocating the legalisation of the industry.
TEACH THEM THEIR RIGHTS
According to Mr. Chin, Thailand also has universities which empower sex workers and teach them their rights.
"I would love to see Jamaica get that broad minded and be realistic about sex," he said.
The LASCO chairman said Thailand has been able to reduce its HIV/AIDS infection rate because of the proactive approach it has taken. He noted that the country had about 140,000 new infections each year. However, since its Prime Minister became the head of the National Aids Committee and the government and private sector got together in an effort to fight the disease, the new rate of infection was reduced to 18,000 in 2003.
Meanwhile, Michael Muirhead, executive director of the Tourism Product Develop-ment Company Limited (TPDCo), who also participated in the study tour, said the experience was "eye opening and earth shattering".
He said his organisation would undertake activities aimed at ensuring that employees and tourists have access to condoms, information on sexually transmitted disease treatment and voluntary counselling
and testing.
Dr. Andrew Wheatley, Mayor of Spanish Town, said the issue of HIV/AIDS requires more immediate and intimate involvement of political representatives at the local level.
