Prevalence and factors associated with violence against women who exchange sex for money in Gulu City, Northern Uganda: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a public health concern disproportionately affecting female sex workers (FSWs) globally. We investigated the prevalence and factors associated with GBV against women engaged in sex work in Gulu City, Uganda.

METHODS

In this community-based study, we included FSWs purposely selected from hotspots within Gulu City, Uganda, between February and April 2023. Data on participants' characteristics and history of GBV in the past 1 year prior to the interview were collected using a structured questionnaire. Bivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the factors associated with GBV.

RESULTS

Of the 314 participants, 222 (70.7%) reportedly experienced GBV in the past year, most frequently economic violence (66.9%, n=210), followed by verbal violence (41.4%, n=130), physical violence (27.7%, n=87) and sexual violence (27.4%, n=86). Factors associated with GBV were secondary education level (adjusted OR (AOR): 0.17, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.87, p=0.034), history of pregnancy (AOR: 3.41, 95% CI 1.05 to 11.04, p=0.041) and places of sex work at bars (AOR: 5.59, 95% CI 2.03 to 15.38, p=0.001), night clubs (AOR: 3.69, 95% CI 1.26 to 10.61, p=0.017) and client's place (AOR: 3.62, 95% CI 1.21 to 10.86, p=0.022).

CONCLUSION

GBV against FSWs in Gulu City, Uganda, is unacceptably high. Therefore, there is an urgent need to address violence in sex work in Uganda and similar settings worldwide through multisectoral targeted interventions and creating safer working environments by the Ministry of Health and other concerned entities.