by KARIN DEAR

CONJUGAL VISITS for prisoners instead of the widely rejected free distribution of condoms, may offer some solutions to the problems of homosexual practices that plague inmates.

A strong suggestion that Barbados may introduce conjugal visits for prisoners in the future was disclosed at a news conference Tuesday by Chancellor of the University of the West Indies, Sir George Alleyne, after he met earlier in the day with the Reverend Joe Atherley, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office.

Sir George, who is also the United Nations Special Envoy on AIDS, said the question of looking at conjugal visits was one that had to be considered in addressing the ever-increasing HIV/AIDS issue.

"There was a time when I was aggressively positive about the desirability of free and easy distribution of condoms in prison," he said, but added that some research had shown that many of the prisoners themselves did not wish condoms to be distributed freely.

In one country not named, he said prisoners felt that if condoms were distributed freely and they were seen to be accessing them for homosexual practices, they would be labelled homosexuals, carry the stigma and perhaps even be exposed to danger.

Regarding the issue of referring to prostitutes as commercial sex workers, an internationally accepted discription which was recently condemned by Atherley, Sir George was adamant that the commercial sex worker term was a discussion "about nomenclature, while the other is a discussion about practice".

"I used to use the word prostitute as well until it was brought home to me by a group of persons that perhaps that had even a more negative connotation, than the words commercial sex worker," he said.

Since then, he has used the commerical sex worker term.

"Regardless of what we call them, one has to deal with that group of persons on the basis of three fundamental principles," he maintained.

"One, do you wish to stop persons from entering that form of practice, because no one wants to view that as a normal form of occupation?

"So, you have to do everything possible to stop them from entering that practice.

"But while they are in that practice, you want to do everything to protect them for several reasons – because they are human beings, and because you don't want to become infected, and because they may be purveyors of infection.

"Thirdly," he said, "and you must not forget this because the three go together, the state must do everything possible to facilitate those persons in leaving that practice."