Sex Workers' Health and Rights—What Can Be Done?

Chief of Party, Drug Demand Reduction Program

Galina Karmanova is a Chief of Party of the USAID-funded Drug Demand Reduction Program in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and the Ferghana Valley Region of Kyrgyzstan. She completed her graduate studies in epidemiology at the Tashkent State Medical Institute. During 2001 she conducted research on “HIV/AIDS Prevention and Strategic Planning with the Involvement of Civic Organizations” at the CDC in Atlanta. As a Chief of Party of the Drug Demand Reduction Program, she is responsible for overall program management and development, establishing and strengthening partnership among key stakeholders. Prior to her current position, she worked for the National AIDS Prevention Center of Turkmenistan and for the United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). Her experience in the field of HIV/AIDS prevention includes designing and implementing training programs, developing public awareness campaigns, and building increased partnerships between governmental, nongovernmental, and international organizations. In addition, she has assisted the government of Turkmenistan in the strategic planning for a national response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. She also regularly attends international conferences on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Drug Related Harm. She has several publications, including abstracts from international conferences on HIV/AIDS and drugs. Karmanova speaks fluent Russian and English and has a spoken knowledge of Turkmen and Uzbek.

Director, Central and Eastern European Harm Reduction Network

Raminta Stuikyte is the Director of the international nongovernmental organization Central and Eastern European Harm Reduction Network (CEE-HRN). CEE-HRN focuses on advocacy, capacity building, networking, and research to reduce harm related to drug use in 27 countries in Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Stuikyte completed her master’s degree in Applied Mathematics and a master’s degree in Social Sciences from Vilnius University in Lithuania. She has also studied law at the Law Faculty of Vilnius University. Previously Stuikyte has served as Project Manager for Vox Populi, where she carried out media relations and communications activities with international foundations and NGOs. Stuikyte was elected as Deputy Chairperson and President of the Student Representation of Vilnius University, where she was responsible for initiating and organizing a variety of national and international projects. Stuikyte recently co-authored the “Sex Work, HIV/AIDS, and Human Rights in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia” report and has other publications related to sex work policies, prevention programs, harm reduction capacity building, and drug use in Central and Eastern Europe. She attends international conferences on Sex Work and HIV/AIDS Prevention and Drug Related Harm. Other than her native Lithuanian, Ms. Stuikyte speaks fluent Russian and English and has a spoken knowledge of Polish.