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>> >>: IN TIJUANA'S RED LIGHT DISTRICT, YOU CAN FIND A SEX WORKER ANY TIME, EVEN IN THE
MIDDLE OF THE DAY. >> >>: YOU COME RIGHT HERE, AND LOOK FOR A
GIRL, YOU GET WHATEVER YOU WANT. YOU DO WHATEVER YOU WANT, YOU KNOW, FOR A
LITTLE BIT OF MONEY. >> >>: TWENTY NINE YEAR OLD LINDA SANDOVAL
HAS BEEN SELLING HERSELF IN THE STREETS FOR MORE THAN A DECADE.
ONE OF THE HOTELS SHE USES CHARGES THREE DOLLARS FOR 20 MINUTES IN A ROOM.
>> >>: YOU JUST STAND HERE AND JUST WAIT FOR A CLIENT TO GET HERE AND TAKE YOU TO A HOTEL.
>> >>KENNY: SANDOVAL STARTED AS A STRIPPER IN LOCAL CLUB WHEN SHE WAS 13.
SHE BEGAN SHOOTING DRUGS SHORTLY AFTER. SHE SAYS SEX WORK IS HUMILIATING.
CLIENTS ASK HER TO DO THINGS YOU COULDN'T IMAGINE.
>> >>: THEY USE DRUGS AND YOU WANT THE MONEY JUST QUICK, JUST TO GET IT FAST AND YOU WANT
TO GET YOUR DOPE. SO IT DON'T MATTER WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO TO
GET YOUR DOPE. >> >>KENNY: AND THAT INCLUDES HAVING UNPROTECTED
SEX OR SHARING DIRTY NEEDLES. THIS KIND OF HIGH RISK BEHAVIOR TAKES ITS
TOLL. AN ESTIMATED SIX PERCENT OF SEX WORKS IN TIJUANA
ARE INFECTED WITH ***, 12% WHO SHOOT DRUGS HAVE THE DISEASE.
THAT'S FORTY TIMES HIGHER THAN THE *** RATE IN MEXICO AS A WHOLE.
RECENTLY RESEARCHERS FROM UC SAN DIEGO AND MEXICO DID A STUDY WHICH INVOLVED 600 ***
NEGATIVE SEX WORKERS IN MEXICO. THE STUDY TESTED WHETHER A BRIEF INTERVENTION
COULD REDUCE RISKY BEHAVIOR. THE WOMEN WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO FOUR DIFFERENT
GROUPS, EACH GROUP RECEIVED 30 MINUTE COUNSELING SESSION ON HOW TO NEGOTIATE SAFE SEX, AND
HOW TO REDUCE RISKY INJECTION PRACTICES. EACH SESSION WAS EITHER A LECTURE OR MORE
INTERACTIVE FORMAT. EVERY FOUR MONTHS WOMEN WERE TESTD FOR SEXUALLY
TRANSMITTED DISEASES. AFTER ONE YEAR, THE DATA WAS ANALYZED.
UC SAN DIEGO'S STEPHANIE STRAF DIRECTED THE STUDY.
SHE SAYS THE RESULTS WERE DRAMATIC. >> >>: THE INTERACTIVE VERSION OF THE SAFER
SEX INTERVENTION WAS WITH A 60% DECREASE IN NEW *** INFECTIONS.
>> >>KENNY: IN TIJUANA, RESEARCHERS FOUND WOMEN WHO RECEIVED EITHER VERSION OF THE SAFE
INJECTION INTERVENTION DID EQUALLY WELL. AND BOTH GROUPS HAD LOWER RATES OF NEW INFECTIONS.
AFTER REVIEWING THEIR DATA, RESEARCHERS FIGURED OUT THE REASON FOR THE DISCREPANCY.
TIJUANA HAS A MUCH MORE ROBUST EXCHANGE PROGRAM THAT CIUDAD JUAREZ.
>> >>: IF YOU'RE A CITY OR POLICY MAKER THAT'S MAKING A DECISION ON HOW TO REDUCE INJECTION
RISKS FOR ***, IT'S MUCH MORE IMPORTANT TO HAVE COVERAGE OF STERILE SYRINGES THROUGH
EITHER NEEDLE EXCHANGE OR PHARMACIES THAN TO PROVIDE AN INTERVENTION LIKE THIS.
CLEAN SYRINGES COST ABOUT 5 CENTS A PIECE. SOME QUESTION THE VALUE OF SPENDING ANY MONEY
TO PREVENT SEX WORKERS FROM BECOMING INFECTED. UC SAN DIEGO'S JOSE LUIS SAYS IT'S A SOUND
INVESTMENT. >> >>: EVENTUALLY MANY OF THEM CHANGE THEIR
LIVES SOÊ BUT THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE CHILDREN, THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE INTERACTIONS WITH PEOPLE
FROM TIJUANA, FROM MEXICO AND FROM THE U.S. I THINK IT'S AN INVESTMENT THAT MAKES SEX
NOT ONLY FOR MEXICO, BUT FOR BOTH COUNTRIES. >> >>KENNY: LINDA HOPES TO GET OUT OF THE
SEX TRADE SOON. SHE'S MET A GUY SHE'D LIKE TO HAVE A FAMILY
WITH. IN THE MEANTIME SHE SAYS THE INTERVENTIONS
CHANGED THE BAY SHE DOES BUSINESS. THESE DAYS SHE USES CLEAN NEEDLES AND SHE
INSISTS THAT ALL OF HER CLIENTS WEAR CONDOMS. SANDOVAL SAYS MOST OF THEM SAY YES.
>> >>: THEY'RE THE ONES THAT SAY YOU'RE RIGHT, I HAVE A FAMILY OR A WIFE OR WHATEVER OR FOR
MYSELF. AND SOME OF THEM THEY DON'T CARE THEY'RE LIKE
IF YOU DON'T WANT TO DO IT I'LL FIND SOMEBODY ELSE.
I'M LIKE ALL RIGHT.