Peru: report on links between unsafe sex and public 'net cafes

Health researchers in Peru have produced a report that explores the sociological links between public internet cafes (cabinas públicas) and unsafe sex -- in particular, anonymous male/male encounters that take place inside the cafes, sometimes arranged online. Snip from the Public Library of Science announcement:

One recent survey, for example, found that a small number of men--10 out of 1,112 in the survey--reported having had their last sexual intercourse inside a private module of an Internet cafe. Nine out of the ten had anal sex (only four used a condom), and one out of the ten had oral sex without a condom. Of those who had anal sex, four out of nine had a casual partner, three out of nine an anonymous partner, and two out of nine a stable partner. All last sexual partners were males and all had met on the Internet.

"Given the possible association between HIV/sexually transmitted infection transmission and the high level of Internet use by men who have sex with men in Peru," say the authors, "cabinas públicas are a logical place to deliver Web-based interventions."

"Cabinas also may be an effective means for delivering low-cost prevention messages to a great number of people, especially those who are not being reached using more traditional methods."

Here's the summary, and here's the whole report -- really interesting stuff. Image: A typical "cabina pública" at a Peruvian 'net cafe, with private booths where people sometimes have anonymous sexual encounters. Photo: Magaly Blas. (Thanks, Cyrus Farivar)

[#1 posted by voyeurperu , June 12, 2008 7:07 PM]

ha ha ha ! Cyber cafes, hey , here in Peru, "cyber cafes" are too much different than those who perhaps you know in Usa or Europe, here in spanish called "cabinas" , you can find every street, is a new self-family business, with keywords without words, and mouses without trackballs. And don´t ask for Coffe to avoid an embarrasing reply from the guy that manage the "Cabina".
Some of this Cabinas have privacy and is easy to get into it with your girl and have sex, look that no hotels, just 1 hour of "cabina" cost 1 dollar..cheap, not ???

Jorge

VoyeurPeru