Transactional Sex among Youths in Post-conflict Liberia

Abstract

This paper presents findings on sexual risk behaviours of Liberian youths based on five focus-group discussions conducted with 6th and 7th graders (n=36) attending an elementary/middle school in Monrovia, Liberia. The purpose of the focus-group discussions was to gain an understanding of the sexual behaviours of in-school Liberian adolescents. The focus-group discussions were part of a larger study to adapt an evi-dence-based HIV-prevention intervention—Making Proud Choices!—for in-school youths. Post-conflict conditions were discussed as a contributor to the emergence of high-risk sexual behaviours, including transactional sex, sexual violence, and lack of condom-use. Transactional sex was often described by the focus-group participants as occurring between young females and older, more financially-secure males to obtain cash, food, clothing, western commodities, and school-fees and was often encouraged by parents and promoted by peers. The findings also indicate that female adolescents make choices to engage in transactional sex to gain access to a continuum of material and consumer needs. These findings suggest that individual risk-taking behaviours are nested within complex sexual economies and that HIV-prevention interventions should be considered that leverage females’ agency and control.

The evolution of policy enactment on gender-based violence in schools

“…In one study with 212 children in urban, semi-rural, and rural districts, almost a third of the children said they had had transactional sex in order to pay for school materials (Antonowicz 2010). In another study, girls in Monrovia said that they exchanged sex for financial rewards, to earn respect, and for grades (Atwood et al 2011). The power differential makes it extremely difficult to refuse sex.…”

“…At the primary level, the gross enrolment rate is now 94%, though the gender parity index of 0.75 shows that girls are far less likely to be enrolled than boys (UNESCO 2011). Efforts have been made to increase secondary enrolment-the transition rate to secondary school in 2010 was 62% (UNESCO 2011)-though competing fiscal demands have hindered implementation of these secondary school initiatives (Atwood et al 2011). Attempts to increase girls' participation in school have generated policies to protect them from sexual violence by punishing perpetrators (Davis 2013).…”

‘It’s Not a Gift When It Comes with Price’: A Qualitative Study of Transactional Sex between UN Peacekeepers and Haitian Citizens

“…This may be particularly relevant in the context of particular sexual acts which were requested or demanded by the male partner and which the civilian did, despite his or her actual desires. The power imbalance of age, access to resources, foreigner status, and socioeconomic class as well as fears of persecution for political or sexual orientation reasons can also influence the perception of coercion (Atwood et al 2011;Higate 2007;Jennings 2010;Maclin et al 2015;Nyanzi 2013;O'Brien 2011;Okigbo et al 2014).…”

High rates of Unintended Pregnancies among Young Women Sex Workers in Conflict-affected Northern Uganda: The Social Contexts of Brothels/Lodges and Substance Use

“…As our study examined ever unintended pregnancy, it is unclear whether these unintended pregnancies occurred amidst the LRA conflict or post-conflict. There are evidence from conflict-affected Liberia that documented exchanges of sex for protection during conflict 7 . The power imbalances established within such transactions have been described to reduce women's ability to negotiate and use condoms 7 ,…”

“…Despite reports suggesting a high unmet reproductive need in conflict-affected settings 5 , there remains limited peer-reviewed literature quantifying the need for reproductive health services in conflict and conflict affected settings 6 . Furthermore, despite the concomitant increase of transactional sex in conflict-affected regions 2,7 , there remains a limited understanding of sex workers' reproductive health needs and outcomes 8 . This is an important gap, given that sex workers globally are disproportionately affected by reproductive health inequities 9,12 .…”