General Reports

[Spanish 8]

MORE than 500 Sydney prostitutes are offering unprotected sex to clients, raising fears they may be contributing to the spread of sexually transmissible infections. The trend, revealed in a survey of online advertising and adult forums, has alarmed somebrothels which want any commercial sexual activity without a condom to be illegal. The study by sex industry consulting firm Brothel Busters has found 507 sex workers are offering oral sex with no protection at both legal and illegal premises in Sydney. About two-thirds were identified as Asian, while one-third were Caucasian. The manager of legal Edgecliff brothel Liaisons - who identifies herself as "Helen" - said laws governing unsafe sex practices at commercial premises needed toughening. "It should be illegal because you've got to practise safe sex. If you're not, you can spread disease and you're putting sex workers and clients at risk," she said. No happy ending for councils and brothels In pictures: Illegal brothels in Sydney "What should my girls do to protect themselves? It's not like clients walk in with a health certificate. "The only way we can combat that is with compulsory use of condoms." NSW has no legislation specifically banning unsafe sex. There are only guidelines issued by NSW Health and WorkCover recommending the use of condoms. The laws in other states are much tougher. In Victoria and Queensland, for example, it is against the law for prostitutes and owners of licensed premises to offer unsafe oral sex. The differences have prompted Brothel Busters boss Chris Seage to argue that NSW should fall into line with Victoria and Queensland. Mr Seage said he was concerned the spread of disease could rise if the level of unsafe oral sex was left unregulated. "The 507 prostitutes identified could be seeing up to 10 clients a week, which means up to 5000 Sydney men each week could be exposed to STIs," he said. "The question is, are these punters then going home to their wives and girlfriends and potentially spreading the problem further?" Professor Basil Donovan, head of the sexual health program at the federal government-funded Kirby Institute, said he was "concerned" about evidence of a rise in unsafe oral sex. But he argued that making unsafe oral sex illegal was no silver bullet: "No law will ever stop unprotected sex. (But) I would like to see WorkCover inspectors conducting investigations regularly." Another brothel owner, Frank James of Black Cat at Surry Hills, said his own investigations had found "one place in Crows Nest that's basically a $2 shop - it's not even a sex premises - but out the back anything goes." Mr Donovan said council regulations meant that some premises were operating "under the radar". Source: dailytelegraph.com.au/