Deutsche Presse-Agentur (05.03.12) - Thursday, May 03, 2012
Greek authorities are cracking down on unlicensed brothels,
where prostitutes who are working illegally likely are not
undergoing mandated HIV tests.
Prostitution is legal in Greece, and brothels are licensed by
the government. Officials believe a rise in HIV cases in the
country may be due to illegal prostitution and an increase in
injecting drug use.
In recent days, medical tests on more than 100 prostitutes
conducted by Greece's Center for Disease Control and
Prevention identified 17 HIV-positive cases. Hundreds more
women will be screened during the coming weeks. Health
officials are ramping up testing of prostitutes working in
central Athens, home to more than 300 brothels currently
operating without a license.
Thousands of Greek men have placed panicked calls to health
centers after the names and photos of 12 of the 17 women - who
hail from Greece, Russia, and Bulgaria - were published on the
Greek police's website. Human rights advocates have slammed
the decision to identify the women, noting it is unclear
whether the prostitutes were aware they are HIV-positive.
Health Minister Andreas Loverdos said that following Sunday's
elections, he plans to call on the next government to
criminalize unprotected sex at brothels. He compared the
situation to a "time bomb, and one that hits the whole of
Greek society since many of these men have wives and
families."