Pimps man the park across from the historic Ulan
Bator Hotel, popular with foreigners. They are keeping an eye on their
employees — about 20 women working in Mongolia”s quickly expanding sex trade.

“40,000 tugrik for one hour,” says one
young woman asked about the going rate — the equivalent of about $30.

Prostitution is illegal in Mongolia, but the sex
industry is booming, due in part to the explosion of the country”s mining
sector, which has spawned a huge mobile workforce of men far away from home,
says an AFP report.

The United Nations Children”s Fund (UNICEF) says
there are almost 19,000 sex workers in the impoverished landlocked country with
a population of just 2.7 million — or one for every 140 people.

“Poverty and unemployment force women into the
industry — the government should be seriously concerned about it,” Nyam
Ultzii, who runs one of the few non-government organisations in Mongolia
helping sex workers, told AFP.

While the park in front of the Ulan Bator Hotel is
a notorious public spot to trawl for sex, the trade is gradually shifting out
of sight to karaoke bars, hotels, saunas and massage parlours — putting the
women at higher risk.

“Because it”s gone underground, we seek women
in the most vulnerable places and offer services like access to medical
professionals for health check-ups, or clean places to shower and wash their
clothes,” Ultzii said.

The flourishing sex trade is having major health
consequences — inadequate medical services, limited prevention campaigns and
the cultural stigma linked with prostitution have led to a rise in sexually
transmitted infections.

A 2010 assessment done by personnel at Oyu Tolgoi,
a huge copper deposit being developed by Canada”s Ivanhoe Mines and
Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto, identified STIs as one of five major health
risks in the south Gobi desert.

The rise in the number of men working at both Oyu
Tolgoi and the nearby Tavan Tolgoi coal field has led to a spike in sex worker
activity — and increased risk, says Ariunna, who runs Oyu Tolgoi”s community
health programme.

Some truck drivers en route to the Chinese border
“have no money, so they sell one or two litres of diesel to the girls in
exchange for sex. They”ve come to be known as the “diesel girls”,” said
Ariunna, who like many Mongolians goes by one name.

“They can”t get access to health services, and
because of the shame to the family, they often shy away from any help or
support,” she added.

Nationwide, HIV — the virus that causes AIDS — is
becoming a concern.

Despite Mongolia”s status as a low-prevalence
nation, the infection rate has increased 17 times in the past six years to a
recorded 95 cases. And officials at the National AIDS Foundation admit the real
number is likely much higher.

“Mongolia is a country at high risk of an
accelerated HIV spread due to its relatively young population, increased
mobility, proximity to growing epidemic countries such as Russia and China, and
the high level of HIV-related stigma and discrimination”, said local
UNAIDS coordinator Altanchimeg Delegchoimbol.

Mongolia is one of 49 countries and regions in the
world which still have restrictions on the movements of those living with
HIV/AIDS, adding to the stigma attached to admitting one”s status and getting
treatment.

In 2002, a young woman was murdered by her husband
after a local newspaper reported she was HIV positive, according to media
reports. It turned out to be a false positive.

But in June at a high-level UN meeting on the topic
in New York, lawmaker Dagvadorj Ochirbat said the government was “in the
process of eliminating HIV-related restrictions on entry, stay and
residence”.

Concerns about testing accuracy also remain a
problem, especially in the impoverished countryside, as the health industry
suffers from financial and professional deficiencies.

The huge population rise in the south Gobi region
sparked by the race to exploit Mongolia”s vast mineral resources is testing the
country”s already strained medical services.

In Khan Bogd, the town closest to the Oyu Tolgoi
deposit, the local hospital has only 23 staff treating more than 3,000
officially registered residents, Ariunna explained. The only gynaecologist on
staff is not certified.

Managers at Oyu Tolgoi are working with local
authorities to bolster local health services, but they say authorities at both
the national and local levels need to do more.

“We need support from the central government
level. We”re telling people to improve hygiene and use preventative measures —
but how much can we really achieve when there is no running water in
hospitals?” Ariunna said.