Female sex workers dislike keeping condoms with them so as to avoid being arrested by the police, officials said yesterday.

Addressing an awareness propgramme at Galkiriyagama, Public Health Inspect U.G. Jayasundera said the possession of condoms made it easy for a woman to be suspected as a sex worker.

He said this was one of the main reasons why sex workers dislike carrying condoms with them.

Mr. Jayasundera said the use of condoms is recommended for the prevention of deadly diseases such as HIV and AIDS.

“There is prostitution in Sri Lanka.  There are also foreign sex workers here.   Once a sex worker is arrested, condoms seized from her are used as case productions.  Therefore, they now avoid keeping condoms with them. This is a serious problem. This will lead to the spread of sexually transmitted diseases,” he said.

Mr. Jayasundera said health authorities are discussing these matters with police officials. (Kushan Jayawardane)