Gender-based violence against female sex workers in Cameroon: Prevalence and associations with sexual HIV risk and access to health services and justice

Abstract

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES:

Female sex workers (FSWs) are at risk for HIV and physical and sexual gender-based violence (GBV). We describe the prevalence of lifetime GBV and its associations with HIV risk behaviour, access to health services and barriers in accessing justice among FSWs in Cameroon.

METHODS:

FSWs (n=1817) were recruited for a cross-sectional study through snowball sampling in seven cities in Cameroon. We examined associations of lifetime GBV with key outcomes via adjusted logistic regression models.

RESULTS:

Overall, 60% (1098/1817) had experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. GBV was associated with inconsistent condom use with clients (adjusted OR (AOR) 1.49, 95% CI 1.18 to 1.87), being offered more money for condomless sex (AOR 2.09, 95% CI 1.56 to 2.79), having had a condom slip or break (AOR 1.53, 95% CI 1.25 to 1.87) and difficulty suggesting condoms with non-paying partners (AOR 1.47, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.87). Violence was also associated with fear of health services (AOR 2.25, 95% CI 1.61 to 3.16) and mistreatment in a health centre (AOR 1.66, 95% CI 1.01 to 2.73). Access to justice was constrained for FSWs with a GBV history, specifically feeling that police did not protect them (AOR 1.41, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.78).

DISCUSSION:

Among FSWs in Cameroon, violence is prevalent and undermines HIV prevention and access to healthcare and justice. Violence is highly relevant to FSWs' ability to successfully negotiate condom use and engage in healthcare. In this setting of criminalised sex work, an integrated, multisectoral GBV-HIV strategy that attends to structural risk is needed to enhance safety, HIV prevention and access to care and justice.

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By:  Decker MR¹, Lyons C², Billong SC³, Njindam IM², Grosso A², Nunez GT², Tumasang F⁴, LeBreton M⁵, Tamoufe U⁶, Baral S².

¹Department of Population, Family & Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA Center for Public Health & Human Rights, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

²Center for Public Health & Human Rights, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

³Comité national de lutte contre le sida (CNLS), Ministère de la Sante Publique (MINSANTE), Yaoundé, Cameroon.

⁴PEPFAR DSF Ministère de la Sante Publique (MINSANTE), Yaoundé, Cameroon.

⁵Global Viral, Yaoundé, Cameroon Mosaic, Yaoundé, Cameroon.

⁶Global Viral, Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Sex Transm Infect. 2016 Jun 8. pii: sextrans-2015-052463. doi: 10.1136/sextrans-2015-052463. [Epub ahead of print]

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