Minister of Health speaks of "sanitary bomb" in the Athens centre due to foreign prostituted women

Alert DateApril 27, 2012 Country: Greece Address: Athens General Type: Racist discourse Racism and discrimination phenomena: Anti-migrant/xenophobia
Groups affected / Interested in: Migrants Key socio-economic/institutional areas: Health and social protection Hate speech/Racist Discourse Medium: Political Discourse

Related Case Studies

Victims Data
Victims Nationality/Ethnic Origin N/A
Victims Gender Female
Victims Age N/A
Victims Number N/A
Fatalities - deaths N/A
Perpetrators Data
Perpetrators Nationality/Ethnic Origin Greek
Perpetrator Gender Male
Perpetrator Age N/A
Perpetrators Number 1
Extremist/Organised Group Violence No

During recent controls of the Hellenic Centre for Disease Contol and Prevention (KELPNO) in the Athens centre, twelve (12) prostitutes, two (2) of them of foreign origin, were found infected to HIV [1].

Health Minister, Andreas Loverdos, spoke on the issue of infected with HIV prostitutes in Athens describing it as an unlocked sanitary bomb in Athens. He explained the HIV infection by the foreign origin of illegal prostitutes, contrary to the above mentioned KELPNO's findings. He mentioned: "The AIDS sanitary bomb is no longer in the ghettos of foreigners as it used to happen until recently, it escaped from the ghetto now. Personally and all the competent authorities tried much about it, for this not to escape. I was shouting for this the last months: do not go with illegal foreign prostitutes..." [2].

HIV infection and illegal prostitution is an issue that is due to a large extent to  clients' demand for sex without protection, trafficking, drug addiction and the current Law N. 2734/1999 which makes very difficult for prostitution houses to issue a license. According to the Mnuciality of Athens "none of the prostitution houses has applied for a license in 2012, so currently they work without disposing the necessary preconditions and especially, without medical examinations" [3]. 

The issue has largerly expanded with the publishing of infected prostitutes' photos and names by the Police [4].

Sources:

  1. Imerisia, 01.05.2012, Δώδεκα οι ιερόδουλες με AIDS (Twelve the prostitutes with AIDS), http://www.imerisia.gr/article.asp?catid=12333&subid=2&pubid=112856997, Accessed on 02.05.2012
  2. Proto Thema, 01.05.2012, «Υγειονομική βόμβα» οι μολυσμένες με AIDS πόρνες ("Sanitary bomb" the infected with AIDS prostitutes), http://www.protothema.gr/greece/article/?aid=194015, Accessed on 02.05.2012
  3. Ethnos, 03.05.2012, Χωρίς άδεια οι 600 οίκοι ανοχής στο κέντρο της Αθήνας (Without license the 600 prostitution houses in the centre of Athens), http://www.ethnos.gr/article.asp?catid=22768&subid=2&pubid=63652111, Accessed on 03.05.2012 
  4. Fileleftheros, 04.05.2012, Στη δημοσιότητα τα στοιχεία άλλων πέντε ιερόδουλων, αντιδράσεις για το μέτρο (Published details of five other prostitutes, reactions to the measure), http://www.philenews.com/el-gr/Eidiseis-Ellada/23/103185/sti-dimosiotita-ta-stoicheia-allon-pente-ierodoulon-antidraseis-gia-to-metro, Accessed on 04.05.2012