Shumaila is a prostitute, who was born and brought up in Karachi’s Napier Road red-light district. Until recently she had never heard about HIV and Aids. She carries condoms but clients refuse to wear them. “None of us were aware about the danger of Aids looming over us for years but now we all know and can avoid it,” said the tall 29 year-old, who lives in a Victorian-style building in the heart of the neighbourhood. Shumaila’s awareness – rare among Pakistan sex workers – is thanks to the gender and reproductive health forum, a local charity that runs a UN-funded programme in Napier Road teaching prostitutes about the perils of HIV/Aids. “So far we have provided hundreds of thousands of condoms to sex workers in the last two years, which … Read entire article »