ASIAN sex workers are being pressured to have unprotected oral sex to keep their jobs in an increasingly competitive prostitution industry, prompting fears of an outbreak of sexually transmitted diseases in the wider community.
To kick-start business after the global financial crisis and meet a surge in client demand, Sydney brothels staffed exclusively by Asians now offer oral sex without a condom as a standard service. NSW Health confirms rates of sexually transmitted infections among the general population are rising, although it has no evidence infections among sex workers are up. But The Sun-Herald has learnt that any spread of disease among Asian sex workers in Sydney is being covered up because they bring in medicines from Hong Kong to treat themselves, rather than see local doctors.
Brothel owners estimate 80 per cent of men who pay for sex have wives or girlfriends. Engaging in unprotected oral sex risks spreading disease throughout the community.
Men don't realise what they're getting into β¦ I feel sorry for the unsuspecting wives and girlfriends. The Health and Safety Guidelines for Brothels is the only government regulation, and it requires owners to provide a safe working environment. Despite the public health implications, however, there is no law against unsafe sex in NSW brothels. The Coalition had promised to clean up the sex industry if elected. But it has yet to convene a meeting of the working party it promised to consider a paid licensing system for brothels to pay for more council compliance inspectors.
The Health Minister, Jillian Skinner, declined to answer Sun-Herald questions about the public health ramifications of unsafe sex practices in the prostitution industry. Already an outbreak of disease among men who visit Asian sex workers is being picked up by web forums. A man calling himself AnUnluckyPunter revealed he had contracted chlamydia or gonorrhoea after having unprotected oral sex with various Asian sex workers at four different brothels across Sydney in the past month.
