Online Reporter
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
THE Beitbridge Wellness Centre, a specialised facility serving sex workers, has significantly improved their safety, health behaviours, and access to rights protection as part of efforts to curb new HIV infections in the border town.
The programme is led by the National Aids Council (NAC) in partnership with North Star Alliance and the Ministry of Health and Child Care. Implementing partners regularly conduct visits to hotspot areas to disseminate HIV information and offer services, including testing and treatment.
During a wellness session on Thursday, sex worker Ms Memory Moyo said the intervention had equipped sex workers with knowledge that has transformed their operations.
“The wellness clinic has empowered us. We now know how to safeguard our health, make responsible decisions, and operate professionally,” she said.
Ms Moyo added that the programme has also helped address gender-based violence.
“Some clients used to refuse to wear condoms or refused to pay. The wellness centre has educated us on our rights, and we now know we can seek protection through the police. We also used to loiter, but now we operate in a more co-ordinated way. Even finding accommodation has become easier because we are treated with more dignity,” she said.
Another sex worker, Ms Nomatter Madziro, said they previously lived in fear of law enforcement.
“We used to play a cat-and-mouse game with the police and we were discriminated against. Reporting sexual or gender-based violence was, therefore, difficult,” she said.
Ms Madziro noted that the wellness centre has bridged the gap between sex workers and police, helping safeguard their rights.
“Through the centre, we’ve been taught how to conduct ourselves professionally, how to treat clients, and how they should treat us. This is a business like any other; clients must pay before getting a service and condom use must be agreed upon,” she said.
Sex workers also have access to Moonlight Clinics, mobile night clinics that allow individuals to confidentially seek services from nurses after hours.
Beitbridge Wellness Centre peer educator Ms Chipo Muyambo said the programme has empowered her to educate fellow sex workers on HIV prevention and economic resilience.
“We encourage them to consider income-generating projects instead of relying solely on sex work,” she said.
North Star Alliance site co-ordination nurse Ms Nyarai Shumba said their primary role is to provide health education and services to key populations, including sex workers and truck drivers.
“Our activities include behaviour change communication sessions, night outreaches in hotspots, condom distribution, and a night clinic offering treatment for minor ailments. Peer educators also provide education sessions and we hold Crisis Response Team (CRT) meetings,” she said.
CRT structures bring together heads of Government departments and NGOs. Through collaboration with the police, the clinic also offers protective care for sex workers. Survivors of gender-based violence are assisted in accessing safe shelters. Peer educators further conduct door-to-door visits in hotspot areas.
Beitbridge District Aids Co-ordinator Mr Edward Mlaudzi said the district has an HIV prevalence of 14,5 percent and a 0,2 percent incidence rate. He noted that HIV positivity among sex workers is three times higher than in the general population.
He said the district has about 2 000 sex workers, including some aged between 15 and 19 years. NAC is working with the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training, and the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprise Development to empower young sex workers through short courses or returning them to school.
“Beitbridge is a border town and attracts sex workers from various parts of the country. If we do not offer services to these vulnerable groups, the wider community is affected because their clients are our community members,” he said.
Mr Mlaudzi added that interventions include hotspot visits where teams offer HIV testing, screening for non-communicable diseases, and sexually transmitted infection screening and treatment. — @DubeMatutu
