According to a U.N. report released yesterday, tens of thousands of women trafficked in Asia’s sex trade may be fueling HIV infection on a continent where 5.4 million people are already living with the virus.

The report, released at a conference in Sri Lanka, focuses on the 150,000 to 200,000 people in South Asia who are forced into prostitution each year.

The U.N. urges regional governments to step up HIV prevention and anti-trafficking strategies as well as efforts to give women access to better education and speed their movement toward gender equality.