![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/520bba33-dc72-4e59-bfd8-9fc84869ed81-1024x683.jpg\")
Alum was speaking at the 3rd<\/sup>\nNational Sex Workers\u2019 Dialogue held at Hotel Africana on Tuesday 22nd<\/sup>\nOctober, where a number of sex workers from all over the country convened under\nthe umbrella organisation Alliance for Women Advocating for Change (AWAC) to\ndiscuss how they can work as a vehicle to combat HIV and promote uptake of interventions\nto curb the scourge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sex workers are a key population, and the fact that they have multiple sexual partners means that they are at a high risk\u00a0 of not only contracting HIV but also infecting their clients with it. It is because of this reason that UNAIDS, the arm of United Nations dedicated to fighting HIV partnered with AWAC to make the dialogue possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The UNAIDS country coordinator Dr Karusa\nKiragu applauded AWAC for the work being done outside coordinating sex workers\nto protect themselves and their clients, which included working to achieve the\nSDGs and empowering young women and girls, ahead of advising them to further\nthe message of safe male circumcision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have seen activities like the SDG\nSqueeze Dance Campaigns and the Girl Action Clubs (GAC) which are very\nimportant, but you should advise your sons, brothers and clients to take up\nmale circumcision as it reduces their chance of getting and spreading HIV by\nwell over 60%\u201d she noted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Mcklean Kyomya, the Executive Director\nnoted that the public needs to stop shunning sex workers in the fight against\nHIV because they wield a lot of potential to fight the scourge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn the end, sex workers are mothers and\nsisters to us. They provide a channel for fighting HIV because they have direct\nsexual contact with their clients and if empowered, they can accelerate the\nachievement of the 95-95-95 targets by 2030\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n She also noted that\nfemale sex workers also need economic empowerment through money making\nactivities to diversify their income and be able to cope with modern day\neconomic challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other key parties in attendance were Uganda\nPolice, Ministry of Health members of civil society and the media. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Jessica Alum* is a sex worker in Amuria district. She is always on time in the night to await customers, from whom she gets money to take care of herself and her family. In the process of doing this, she faces constant wrangles with the opposite sex. \u201cMany times men come and find us on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13200,"featured_media":11818,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_paywall_metabox":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[467,98],"tags":[31],"class_list":["post-11815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-news","tag-featured"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ugmirror.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/fae3daff-c703-45f4-af43-503428b7c4ed-1024x683.jpg\")