In 1990, The Costa Rican AIDS‘ Survey showed that Costa Ricans were aware of HIV and its prevention, but they nevertheless practiced unsafe sex.349 With regard to sex workers, our 1997 and the 2000 Surveys provide similar data. Sex workers, for example, knew what the best strategies were to avoid infection. When asked what recommendations they would make to a friend to prevent HIV
(Table 25), more than 95% of the women stated that they would suggest her to use condoms with regular or causal partners. 90% also would advice her to refrain from anal sex. They also indicated in large percentages (Table 26) to have followed these same safe sex techniques. The women were aware that alcohol and drug consumption were dangerous to prevention and should be avoided. However, as we have seen before, these same respondents do not apply these rules to their lovers or partners. Sex workers recommended to others to use condoms, but more than half admitted not using them with regular clients and partners.
Mongers are no different in this behavior. The sex forums are filled with advice like ―mongers, mongers wrap your dongues‖ that as we have seen in this study, are not heeded most of the time. The sex tourists are more knowledgeable than sex workers on the risks involved in unsafe sex. Some of them are so up-to-date that their posts indicate they are written by doctors and other health practitioners. Their recommendations on safe sex are no less accurate than those made by the experts in the field. Nevertheless, the same men who provide estimates of the risks involved in brushing your teeth prior to engaging in oral sex or in French kissing after having a root canal are also causally admitting having bareback sex with a ― novia‖, who happens to be a professional prostitute.
The problem is not knowledge or lack thereof. It is attitudes, beliefs and psychological mechanisms such as denial or wishful thinking that lead people to slip with regard to HIV prevention.350 We have seen that intimacy issues, alcohol consumption and money are the main culprits.
During our two RAPS and from the sex forums we asked sex workers and mongers to provide us with some innovative ideas to do HIV prevention. After all, they are the experts in the field and they know better than anyone else, including health experts, what is that they need to protect themselves.