Adolescence, migration and sex work are independent risk factors for HIV and other poor health outcomes. They are usually targeted separately with little consideration on how their intersection can enhance vulnerability. We interviewed ten women in Zimbabwe who experienced sex work and migration during adolescence, exploring implications for their health and for services to meet their needs. For most, mobility was routine throughout childhood due to family instability and political upheaval. The determinants of mobility, e.g. inability to pay school fees or desire for independence from difficult circumstances, also catalysed entry into sex work, which then led to further migration to maximise income. Respondents described their adolescence as a time of both vulnerability and opportunity, during which they developed survival skills. While these women did not fit neatly into separate risk profiles of "sex worker" "migrant" or "adolescent", the overlap of these experiences shaped their health and access to services. To address the needs of marginalised populations we must understand the intersection of multiple risks, avoiding simplified assumptions about each category. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

Zimbabwe Sex work sexual health Migration Adolescents

Needs Assessment Vulnerable Populations vulnerable population HIV Infections transmission Human immunodeficiency virus infection health risk human epidemiology risk assessment Schools controlled study coping behavior priority journal Adaptation, Psychological female worker interview Young Adult Humans psychology Adolescent Interviews as Topic female risk factor Risk Factors adaptive behavior Zimbabwe adolescence Parent-Child Relations prostitution school Resilience, Psychological women's health Article Adolescent Behavior adult migration work experience Transients and Migrants womens health adolescent sexual behavior population migration child parent relation public health