Assessment of Status of Commercial Sex in Females Selling Local Beverage, their Risk Perception towards HIV Infection and Condom Use in Towns of Gojjam
Creators: name: Bawoke, Tenaw
Publisher: name: National Academic Digital Repository of Ethiopia
Year: 2007

description: Background (problem statement): - Selling local beverages like Araki, Teji and Tella by females is of back long and widely practiced activity in Ethiopia in general and in most towns of Gojjam in particular. And some of these females are practicing commercial sex with their beverage customers most of whom are farmers presumably with low awareness level towards HIV/AIDS compared to urban people. It is assumed that commercial sexual transaction between these females and farmers play significant role for the steadily growing rate of HIV transmission to the rural area. Objective: To assess the status of commercial sex among local beverage selling females and to identify their risk perception towards HIV/AIDS and condom use in selected Gojjam towns. Methods: a cross sectional survey assisted by focus group discussion (FGD) was conducted on 354 randomly selected local beverage sellers in Debre Markos, Dembecha and Finote Selam towns from March 3 – March 10, 2007. A pre-coded, pre-tested and structured questionnaire was used for the quantitative method and FGD was conducted in the three towns for the qualitative method. Results: Fifty nine percent of the studied local beverage selling females (LBSFs) were older than 35 years and all of them were above 15 yeas old at the time of interview. About 46 % of the respondents were illiterates. More than one-forth of the females studied were married before 10 years old, 76 % of them before 18 years old and most (72.3 %) females had no knowledge and consent of their first marriage. Out of the studied 354 LBSFs, 38.7 % (n=137) have ever practiced commercial sex work (CSW) of which 28.5 % (n=39 of the 137 ever practicing CSWs) have interrupted it at the time of interview and 27.7 % (n=98) are still practicing. viii Educational status before local beverage selling, duration of engagement in local beverage selling, age and lack of additional means of income other than local beverage selling have positive significant associations with engagement to commercial sex work. Family, marriage and other socio-economic factors before being engaged in local beverage selling are found to be statistically significant factors for commercial sexual engagement. Ninety nine percent of the study participants and especially 100 % of the FSW participants have knowledge of HIV/AIDS. Sixty five percent of the respondents have described all the three basic programmatically important prevention methods (Abstinence, Be faithful and use Condoms consistently). Thirty eight percent of the participants have comprehensive knowledge about HIV/AIDS. But 39.6 % of them had at least one misconception (incorrect belief) about HIV transmission. Twenty nine percent of the interviewed females have ever been tested for HIV of which 88 % have taken their results. About 43 % of the studied females have moderate/high and 55.8 % have nil/low risk perception towards HIV infection based on their past risk behaviors. Eighty eight percent of the studied LBSFs (100 % of FSWs) and 63 % of them have knowledge of male condoms and have ever used it respectively. And 65.8 % of the FSWs who have ever used male condoms have used it during their recent sexual contact with their ix paying clients. With in 30 days prior to the day of interview, about half of the commercial sex practicing LBSFs studied have used condoms persistently. Conclusion and recommendation: several family, marriage and other socio-economic related factors before being engaged in local beverage selling are observed playing significant roles for LBSFs to start commercial sex work. And there is high level of unprotected commercial sexual transaction between these CSWs and farmers and other rural community members aggravating the speed of dissemination of HIV infection to the rural Ethiopia. These situations need due attention and rapid remedial intervention by joint efforts of the local government, civil societies and the community itself