Condoms no longer proof of prostitution
Public security departments have stopped using condoms as evidence in prostitution cases, according to an official with the AIDS prevention committee under the State Council.
"Now police departments at all levels no longer use condoms as proof of illegal sex activities in entertainment venues," Han Mengjie, also secretary of the National Center for AIDS Control and Prevention, said on Friday in an online interview with Xinhuanet.com.
Police departments have gradually adapted to the change after health authorities called for condoms to be provided in public places to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, said Han.
According to national surveillance figures, the rate of regular condom use among prostitutes rose from 14.7 percent in 2001 to 41.4 percent in 2006.
The Regulation on AIDS Prevention and Control, issued by the State Council in January last year, urges all public places designated by provincial or municipal governments to provide condoms or condom-vending machines.
"Sex has become the main channel through which the HIV virus is contracted," Minister of Health Chen Zhu said on Thursday.
