Community perspectives on the extent to which transactional sex is viewed as sexual exploitation in Central Uganda

Abstract

Background: Definitions of child sexual exploitation vary. Sexual exploitation violates children's rights and exposes them to mental and physical harm. There exist differences in views of behaviour that is considered exploitative, including transactional sex. This paper explores community perspectives on the extent to which transactional sex is considered exploitative. Methods: In 2014, we conducted 19 focus group discussions and 44 in-depth interviews with young people and adults in two communities in Uganda. Participants were presented with vignettes describing sexual encounters between adolescent girls and young women and men to explore under what conditions participants considered the scenario to be exploitative and why. Interviews were conducted in Luganda using a semi-structured tool, audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Analysis was thematic and complemented by constant comparison and deviant case analysis techniques. Results: Definitions by multilateral, bilateral, and non-governmental organisations of the sexual exploitation of children shared similarities with community conceptualisations of wrong or unfair sex. Although in community conceptualisations there was no consensus on what constituted sexual exploitation, transactional sex was condemned to the extent to which it involved sex with a minor or misled a naïve or immature girl; involved lack of consent, particularly in relationships characterised by power differentials; or worsened the pre-existing status of the girl. Also relevant was the extent to which a man's intentions were considered inappropriate; the adolescent girl or young woman was considered vulnerable; and the adolescent girl or young woman was considered responsible for 'her situation'. Conclusions: Existing social norms that condemn sex with a minor or sex that involves deception, sexual coercion or misleading an immature girl, present opportunities to mobilise communities to protect adolescent girls and young women at risk. Any intervention must, however, be designed with full cognisance of the social and structural drivers that underlie transactional sex and limit adolescent girls' and young women's opportunities to provide for themselves without recourse to sexual relationships with men. Interventions must also be designed to recognise that girls in transactional sex relationships may not consider themselves as exploited, thus requiring engagement with them based on their own concerns, aspirations, and expectations.

“When It’s a Girl, They Have a Chance to Have Sex With Them. When It’s a Boy…They Have Been Known to Rape Them”: Perceptions of United Nations Peacekeeper-Perpetrated Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Against Women/Girls Versus Men/Boys in Haiti

“…There were also notable differences however, since participants in the Tanzanian study believed that transactional sex was exploitative when there was an imbalance of power based on age, economic capital, or social status. Research in Uganda similarly found that transactional sex was considered exploitative if it involved sex with a minor, misled a naïve or immature girl who lacked ability to give consent, or if there was a perceived power differential between the man and women/girl (Kyegombe et al, 2020). Our findings differ in this regard -there was little dialogue to suggest that exchanging sex with an underage girl was perceived as more exploitative or abusive than exchanging sex with an adult woman.…”

‘I trap her with a CD, then tomorrow find her with a big old man who bought her a smart phone’. Constructions of masculinities and transactional sex: a qualitative study from North-Western Tanzania

“…This paper adds to a literature that goes beyond discussing the health impacts of engaging in transactional sex by interrogating motivations and emic (local) perspectives on transactional sex in Tanzania and Uganda (Kyegombe, Meiksin, Namakula, et al 2020;Wamoyi et al 2019;Wamoyi et al 2018). It informs the broader transactional sex literature, which tends to depict transactional sex in one of three broad paradigms (Stoebenau et al 2016).…”

Adolescent girls’ perceived readiness for sex in Central Uganda - liminal transitions and implications for sexual and reproductive health interventions

“…Transactional sex, defined as nonmarital, non-commercial sexual encounters or relationships primarily motivated by the implicit assumption that sex will be exchanged for material benefit or status (Stoebenau et al 2016), has been posited as one of the main drivers of girls' and young women's disproportionate risk of HIV infection owing to epidemiological evidence of a clear association (Ranganathan et al 2016;Dellar, Dlamini, and Karim 2015;Pettifor et al 2005;Rositch et al 2012;Wamoyi et al 2016;Choudhry et al 2015;Dunkle et al 2004;Jewkes et al 2012;Wamoyi et al 2011;Luke et al 2011). While transactional sex is not always considered by communities to be inherently exploitative, one situation in which transactional sex is viewed this way is when sex involves a minor or is considered to mislead a naïve or immature girl (Kyegombe et al 2020). Particularly in the context of Uganda's defilement laws, this raises questions about markers of transition from childhood to adulthood and when in this process young people are perceived by others to be appropriate subjects of sexual interest.…”