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 HIV/AIDS Transmission Through Tourism Prevention Program (HATP)
"The truth should be told about the relationship between Tourism and HIV/AIDS even if it hurts, urgent measures should be undertaken to arrest the situation before it runs out of hand.
It is not enough to talk about the multi-billion dollar worth of transactions in the global travel and tourism industry yearly or about the top ten destinations and source markets. People need to know the downside of the industry and human cost involved"
Every year thousands of international tourists visit the pristine Kenyan beaches along the Indian Ocean coastline for the famous 3S (Sand, Sun and Sea). A less glamorous tourist attraction is the 4th S (Sex). Sex tourism attracts a lot of travelers who travel overseas in order to engage in sex with the locals or take pornographic pictures of the locals. This has emerged as a well-developed component of the commercial sexual exploitation of the locals hence the need to arrest the transmission of HIV/AIDS through sex tourism.
Female prostitution is a problem at the Kenyan coastline. By nightfall, Kenyan coastal towns see the movement of CSWs from their hide-outs into the streets, bars, and hotels where tourists go for a drink. The tourists and those working in the tourism industry tend to be the primary targets because they are believed to pay more for sexual services. The areas with the highest level of prostitution and other associated vices such as violence, robbery, drug peddling, and alcoholism are Mombasa-Mtwapa Area and Watamu-Malindi Area since they are centers for mass tourism. In turn, the presence of these tourists and individual working in the industry who are not living with their families has encouraged large numbers of immigrant casual sex workers who form the core in sex tourism business along the beaches.
The presence of large numbers of people with risky behavior towards HIV/AIDS such as CSW and their clients, beach operators and tourism industry staff at the various sex tourism "hot spots" along the Kenyan beaches will further increase the probability of high prevalence rates of the disease among the general population.
HATP is dedicated to addressing this problem through the following approaches; Research, Behavior Change Communication (BCC), Condom Promotion and Distribution (CPD) and Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT). These approaches are outlined below.
Conducting Research
In order to get an in-depth understanding of the problem the program aims at commissioning research initiatives regarding the spread of HIV/AIDS spread through tourism. The research is undertaken by the programs fully fledged research department, although consultants are engaged if the scope is beyond the capability of the department. The findings of the studies pinpoints on the best approaches to arrest the scam while not affecting the operations of the tourism industry.
Behavior Change Communication (BCC)
BCC is aim at reducing high risk behavior by promoting sex workers and their clients to negotiate for safer sex, use of condoms, early and effective treatment of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STIs) and finally by reduction of stigma and discrimination through increased access to behavior change information. BCC will be utilized to encourage vulnerable individuals to consistently use condoms and reduce their overall number of partners. BCC aims at supplying behavior change information to tourists' facilities (beach hotels, Villas, bandas, bars, disco halls, airports and massage parlors).
Condom Promotion and Distribution (CPD)
CPD is aimed at providing an alternative protective mechanism for those clients who cannot limit themselves to abstinence or faithful sexual partnership and those CSWs who can't quit the trade through improved availability and accessibility of condoms. The program will be mandated to distribute both male and female condoms in the sex tourism "hot spots".
Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT)
HATP will not duplicate the Ministry of Health efforts in providing VCT services but will seek to complement their efforts by encouraging the vulnerable individuals to visit the VCT centers so as to ascertain their HIV status.
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