Dandona Rakhi, Dandona Lalit, Kumar G Anil, Gutierrez Juan Pablo, McPherson Sam, Samuels Fiona, Bertozzi Stefano M
Health Studies Area, Centre for Human Development, Administrative Staff College of India, Hyderabad, India.
BMC Int Health Hum Rights. 2006 Apr 14;6:5. doi: 10.1186/1472-698X-6-5.
The majority of sex work in India is clandestine due to unfavorable legal environment and discrimination against female sex workers (FSWs). We report data on who these women are and when they get involved with sex work that could assist in increasing the reach of HIV prevention activities for them.
Detailed documentation of demography and various aspects of sex work was done through confidential interviews of 6648 FSWs in 13 districts in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The demography of FSWs was compared with that of women in the general population.
A total of 5010 (75.4%), 1499 (22.5%), and 139 (2.1%) street-, home-, and brothel-based FSWs, respectively, participated. Comparison with women of Andhra Pradesh revealed that the proportion of those aged 20-34 years (75.6%), belonging to scheduled caste (35.3%) and scheduled tribe (10.5%), illiterate (74.7%), and of those separated/divorced (30.7%) was higher among FSWs (p < 0.001). The FSWs engaged in sex work for >5 years were more likely to be non-street-based FSWs, illiterate, living in small urban towns, and to have started sex work between 12-15 years of age. The mean age at starting sex work (21.7 years) and gap between the first vaginal intercourse and the first sexual intercourse in exchange for money (6.6 years) was lower for FSWs in the rural areas as compared with those in large urban areas (23.9 years and 8.8 years, respectively).
These data highlight that women struggling with illiteracy, lower social status, and less economic opportunities are especially vulnerable to being infected by HIV, as sex work may be one of the few options available to them to earn money. Recommendations for actions are made for long-term impact on reducing the numbers of women being infected by HIV in addition to the current HIV prevention efforts in India.
由于不利的法律环境以及对女性性工作者（FSW）的歧视，印度的大多数性工作都是秘密进行的。我们报告了关于这些女性的身份以及她们何时从事性工作的数据，这些数据有助于扩大针对她们的艾滋病毒预防活动的覆盖范围。
通过对印度安得拉邦13个地区的6648名女性性工作者进行保密访谈，详细记录了她们的人口统计学特征和性工作的各个方面。将女性性工作者的人口统计学特征与普通人群中的女性进行了比较。
分别有5010名（75.4%）、1499名（22.5%）和139名（2.1%）以街头、家中和妓院为工作场所的女性性工作者参与了调查。与安得拉邦的女性相比，女性性工作者中年龄在20 - 34岁之间的比例（75.6%）、属于在册种姓（35.3%）和在册部落（10.5%）的比例、文盲比例（74.7%）以及分居/离婚的比例（30.7%）更高（p < 0.001）。从事性工作超过5年的女性性工作者更有可能不是街头性工作者、是文盲、居住在小城市镇，并且在12 - 15岁之间开始从事性工作。与大城市地区的女性性工作者相比，农村地区的女性性工作者开始从事性工作的平均年龄（21.7岁）以及首次阴道性交与首次以钱换性性交之间的间隔时间（6.6年）更低（大城市地区分别为23.9岁和8.8年）。
这些数据表明，那些受文盲、社会地位较低和经济机会较少困扰的女性特别容易感染艾滋病毒，因为性工作可能是她们为数不多的赚钱选择之一。除了印度目前的艾滋病毒预防工作外，还提出了行动建议，以期对减少感染艾滋病毒的女性数量产生长期影响。
