Malawi: Insights into commercial sex work

I spent the morning at a clinic for trucker drivers and commercial sex workers at a border post between Malawi and Mozambique. Here are a select few insights:

• Hip Booster: The phrase women use to describe the Depo 3 month injectable contraceptive, because it gives the women more curves which makes them more attractive
• Hit and Run: The phrase women use to describe their casual encounters with truck drivers when they present themselves at the clinic for STI and HIV services and they're asked how they came to contract the STI / HIV.
• 1,000 MWK (£4): The average charge for a 'short stay' - a one off. This doubles for an overnight stay.
• Risk: It's common practice among commercial sex worker to charge customers a higher rate if the customer doesn't want to use a condom. However, usually this is intended to deter customers from unprotected sex, thereby reducing the risk for the woman. But here money wasn't an issue for the truck drivers and women appeared to be accepting risk in order to have a more lucrative encounter.
• Smell: Our brand of condoms are chocolate flavoured and studded. These attributes are marketed as 'for her pleasure'. They sell well, but we know from research that the vast majority of men aren't in the least bit concerned about 'her pleasure', leaving us questioning why these condoms sell so well. It's a complex issue, but I think I uncovered one reason today: according to truck drivers the aroma of the chocolate flavoured condom 'disguises the smell of sex' and the other condoms on the market don't.
• 100%: The percentage of women testing postive for HIV at this clinic. The HIV incidence rate among the little microcosms that exist at border crossing points and ports across the world is often 2 or 3 times higher than the incidence rate among the general population.