The National Aids Council (NAC) has expressed concern over the festering sex for fish trade in Kariba and other fishing areas, which it says is now negatively affecting efforts to reduce HIV and Aids in Zimbabwe.
The problem, which involved sex workers trading sex for fish, is now rife at fishing camps dotted around Lake Kariba.
NAC chief executive Bernard Madzima yesterday revealed that prostitution in fishing camps was leading to a new wave of HIV infections as well as sexually-transmitted infections.
“As the country gears towards ending Aids by 2030, we have some areas we need to address as areas driving HIV new infections,” Madzima said.
“In Kariba, fisheries have been identified as hotspots where there is rampant trade of fish for sex. There is a new phenomenon where sex workers now cohabit with male fishermen in exchange for fish.”
He said there was a high probability of unprotected sex in areas where people were cohabitating.
“As an organisation, we have trained 10 female peer sex workers and 10 male peer fishermen to conduct HIV and Aids peer education and condom distribution in Kariba where this issue is rampant,” he said.
NAC has since scaled up social media interventions to promote behavioural change, condom promotion and distribution. The organisation was also promoting voluntary male circumcision, HIV testing services and prevention and control of sexually transmitted diseases.
Some of the fishing camps affected by the sex-for-fish practice include Gatshe Gatshe, Ndomo, Musamba, Muchenga in Kariba and Kalulwe, Simatelele and Chibuyu in Binga.
Last year, Zimbabwe became the first African country — and the third in the world — to approve injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis medicine to help reduce the rate of new infections.
About 1,3 million people in the southern African country are HIV positive.
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