Female Condoms in India

To study female condoms’ success, CSWs roped in

Express News Service
Ahmedabad, India, 2007 November 19:     In a bid to check the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STD), Ahmedabad AIDS Control Society (AACS) and some non-governmental organisations (NGOs), have initiated a study in the city to gauge viability of introducing female condoms to commercial sex workers (CSWs).

The study — carried under Hindustan Latex Ltd (HLL) — entails distributing free female condoms to a group of CSWs for feedback.



Speaking to Newsline, Social Marketing Head Hindustan Latex, Dr Sanjeev Kumar said that, currently, the study targets CSWs who fall in the high risk group.

“So far in the case of a client refusing to wear a condom, a CSW had to either refuse or comply with his demands,” said Kumar. “With female condoms being made available, they now have an option,” he added.

“This product is being introduced as an option for women when the man refuses to use a condom,” Kumar pointed out, adding that apart from empowering CSWs to protect themselves, this would also help them broaden their client base.

“Similar studies have been conducted in Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh with excellent results,” said Kumar, adding that the study is on in Ahmedabad and Kolkata. Once it’s over and demand created, female condoms will be socially-marketed by National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) through NGOs and other agencies, Kumar added.

Though the commercially-marketed female condoms would cost between Rs 40 to Rs 45 a piece, HLL will sell them at Rs 3 a piece to NACO, under its social marketing scheme, he further said. The end user may get it for about Rs 5 a piece, he added.

The Government of India has already procured 5 lakh female condoms to be distributed among CSWs in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Gujarat, he said.

Meanwhile, Director AACS Dr PK Malodia said that so far responses for female condoms have been very good. “There are some teething problems, which would be sorted out gradually,” he said.

However, some CSWs —to whom these condoms were distributed— said that while they can be used only in the case of clients refusing to use a male condom, they are rather cumbersome to use and may give away, losing out on the protection front.

Also, activists and medical practitioners are slightly apprehensive of the introduction. “As female condoms are designed for multiple use, the hygiene would be a significant issue,” said a highly placed source in Gujarat State AIDS Control Society.

“It would not be prudent to expect a CSW to change the condom after single encounters during the working hours, keeping in mind the trouble involved,” said the source.

“Under such situations, there are high chances of spread of STD from client to client,” he added. However, Dr Sanjeev Kumar made it clear that CSWs are being clearly instructed to use the female condoms only once.

“Though multiple use is possible, as for now, we are promoting this as a single use product,” Kumar said.

- TERUG -