Almost fifty per cent of sex workers in Barbados are Guyanese, according to a recently released study in that county.

The Barbados Nation reported that the study, ‘Findings of a Baseline Study Among Male and Female Sex Workers in Barbados’, revealed that 46% of the sex workers in that country are from Guyana with just a mere 20% of them coming from Barbados, 13% from Trinidad and Tobago and five per cent from Jamaica.

According to the Nation, the study also addressed the reasons why sex workers enter prostitution and 30% of respondents said were in it to support children, 40% for financial gain, 16% to pay off debts and 13% because they enjoyed sex.

The report said that the study was conceptualised to assess and contribute to the reduction of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases among the sex worker population, their partners and clients in Barbados.

Approximately 100 sex workers were interviewed at 131 site visits over four general areas. However, only 44 sex workers participated in the baseline study, out of which 30 female sex workers were interviewed through closed-ended surveys and nine female sex workers participated in the in-depth interviews.

In terms of the male sex workers, three participated in a focus group, while two took part in the in-depth interviews.

The project was funded through CAREC, UNIFEM, Canadian International Development Agency- Canada Caribbean Gender Equality Program and the Pan American Health Organisation.