The HIV and Sex Work Collection - Joint Programme Monitoring ...

Dark Blue’s model forHIV prevention, care andtreatment servicesDuring 2009 alliances were formed with bathhouseand pub owners, hospitals and the local Centre forDisease Control (CDC) in Tianjin. Simultaneously,Blue Dark sought funding to work with male andtransgender sex workers.With a grant from UNFPA in 2010, Dark Blue developedan integrated scheme of HIV and STI prevention,care and treatment services for sex workers within theexisting programme for men who have sex with men.Although UNFPA funding ceased in 2011, funding fromother organizations and individual donors enabled thework to continue. 113A safe space for community networking,education, services and supportDark Blue offers a safe space at its drop-in-centre(dic) for community members to interact with eachother. At the centre, people can access HIV testing andtreatment facilities, condoms, lubricants and sexualhealth information.Noting that many young men who have sex withmen, transgender people and male and transgendersex workers used social networking media to interactwith each other and search for partners and clients, in2004 Dark Blue initiated a web-based programme withthe aim of reaching younger people.Building partnerships for effectiveprogrammesEstablishing partnerships have been crucial to thesuccess of Dark Blue’s programmes. Long-standingpartnerships with the Tianjin Centre for DiseaseControl and Preventtion (CDC), health service providersand owners of sex clubs 114 has been instrumentalin ensuring the provision of high-quality, nondiscriminatoryHIV/STI prevention, treatment and careservices for sex workers.“ At the centre, everyone is treated equallyand with respect. I don’t have to be afraid ofbeing gay or being a sex worker and worryabout how others will judge me. The healthservices they offer are of great quality, betterthan at some hospitals where I am afraidto go. Because of the friendly and relaxedenvironment, I feel comfortable here anddon’t feel ashamed talking about my issues,discussing my problems, as I am around somany others with similar issues. We are allfriends here.”A male sex worker who regularly attends the DiC“The cooperation from the CDC helps us get medicineson time, get our community members tested andtreated quickly; the cooperation from sex club ownersgets us access to the most vulnerable sex workers whoneed HIV services; the cooperation from the healthservice providers gets our community get treated forSTI, opportunistic infections (OI) and HIV in a nonthreateningand non-discriminatory environment,”a Dark Blue outreach worker explained. “Withoutworking with them, we would have never been ableto maintain the reach and the quality of services weprovide for our community,” the worker added.Across the country, CDCs are increasingly recognizingthe benefits of community engagement in HIV prevention.115 The Tianjin CDC is committed to HIV preventionamong sex workers. “It is a mutually beneficial relationshipbetween CDC and us; we need their supportand resources to run our Programmes that benefitthe community and in return, we support them ontheir public health efforts by encouraging communitymembers to test and treat early,” said Dark Blue’sfounder, Gaga.The cooperation of owners and managers of sexclubs is also critical to reach the most vulnerablePage 50