American Journal of Public Health
Volume 106, Issue 6, 2016, Pages 1123-1129

Social support, sexual violence, and transactional sex among female transnational migrants to South Africa (Article)

Giorgio M.* , Townsend L. , Zembe Y. , Guttmacher S. , Kapadia F. , Cheyip M. , Mathews C.
  • a Department of Nutrition, New York University, 411 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10003, United States
  • b Health Systems Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
  • c Health Systems Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
  • d Department of Nutrition, New York University, 411 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10003, United States
  • e Department of Nutrition, New York University, 411 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10003, United States
  • f Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Pretoria, South Africa
  • g Health Systems Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa

Abstract

Objectives. To examine the relationship between sexual violence and transactional sex and assess the impact of social support on this relationship among female transnational migrants in Cape Town, South Africa. Methods. In 2012 we administered a behavioral risk factor survey using respondentdriven sampling to transnational migrant women aged between 16 and 39 years, born outside South Africa, living in Cape Town, and speaking English, Shona, Swahili, Lingala, Kirundi, Kinyarwanda, French, or Somali. Results. Controlling for study covariates, travel-phase sexual violence was positively associated with engagement in transactional sex (adjusted prevalence ratio [APR] = 1.38; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.07, 1.77), and social support was shown to be a protective factor (APR = 0.84; 95% CI = 0.75, 0.95). The interaction of experienced sexual violence during migration and social support score was APR = 0.85 (95% CI = 0.66, 1.10). In the stratified analysis, we found an increased risk of transactional sex among the low social support group (APR = 1.56; 95% CI = 1.22, 2.00). This relationship was not statistically significant among the moderateor high social support group (APR = 1.04; 95% CI = 0.58, 1.87). Conclusions. Programs designed to strengthen social support may reduce transactional sex among migrant women after they have settled in their receiving communities.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

sampling human travel social support sex worker speech South Africa Confidence interval Humans migrant human tissue psychology Adolescent female risk factor Risk Factors prevalence adult transactional sex human experiment migration Sex Offenses Sex Workers Transients and Migrants sexual violence sexual crime
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84968902266&doi=10.2105%2fAJPH.2016.303107&partnerID=40&md5=fed621ae15b63a06f07602cec4b165bc
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2016.303107
ISSN: 00900036
Cited by: 6
Original Language: English