High-risk behaviors and the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases among women prisoners at the women state penitentiary in Metro Manila

Women prisoners in the Philippines are particularly vulnerable to HIV infection. The economic and social disadvantages that women endure in mainstream society are magnified once they are committed to penitentiaries where control over one’s own life is even more restricted and limited. Outside prison, impoverished and uninformed about the ways of protecting their health, women have engaged in unprotected sex with their male partners, many of whom have had casual sex or extra-marital affairs. Within prison, it is therefore not surprising that over 25% of women were already infected with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). None were infected with HIV. The presence of STDs among female inmates highlights the importance of addressing health needs while at the correctional facility. It also raises the need for educational and prevention programs and health services that will help reduce women’s vulnerability to HIV/AIDS and STDs.