A pilot study for an HIV prevention programme among commercial sex workers in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

In a health education pilot study for a programme to reduce HIV transmission among commercial sex workers (CSWs), 113 CSWs were interviewed and observed in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe during 1989. The educational level of the sample was low and less than a quarter had another job, either as a self-employed vendor/hawker or a domestic servant. Inability to earn income in other ways was the major reason cited for engaging in commercial sex.