Violence Against Chinese Female Sex Workers From Their Stable Partners: A Hierarchical Multiple Regression Analysis

Abstract

Limited data are available regarding risk factors that are related to intimate partner violence (IPV) against female sex workers (FSWs) in the context of stable partnerships. Out of the 1,022 FSWs, 743 reported ever having a stable partnership and 430 (more than half) of those reported experiencing IPV. Hierarchical multivariate regression revealed that some characteristics of stable partners (e.g., low education, alcohol use) and relationship stressors (e.g., frequent friction, concurrent partnerships) were independently predictive of IPV against FSWs. Public health professionals who design future violence prevention interventions targeting FSWs need to consider the influence of their stable partners.

Alcohol Use and Experiences of Partner Violence Among Female Sex Workers in Coastal Andhra Pradesh, India

“…The effect was not as strong as FSWs' own alcohol use, though. Our results are consistent with a positive relation between primary partner alcohol use and IPV (Zhang et al, 2015) among Chinese FSWs and with those of several studies among non-FSWs (Dunkle et al, 2006;Sabri, Renner, Stockman, Mittal, & Decker, 2014;Weinsheimer, Schermer, Malcoe, Balduf, & Bloomfield, 2005).…”

“…This suggests that in terms of IPV risk, the exact frequency of drinking, especially beyond the occasional level, was less important than whether the FSW consumed any alcohol at all. These results are different from Zhang et al (2015), who found that Chinese FSWs who consumed alcohol were not significantly more likely to report IPV than FSWs who never drank, but are in line with several studies among the general population that have documented a link between a woman's alcohol use and IPV (see Devries et al, 2014). We could not determine from our survey data whether alcohol use is modifying the FSWs' coping skills as it does in their interaction with clients, or whether the effect is driven by other dynamics, such as the FSWs drinking as a way of coping with anticipated violence from their primary partner whom they cannot as easily escape or avoid as they can a client.…”

“…FSWs (Beattie et al, 2010;Deering et al, 2014;Deering et al, 2013;Erausquin, Reed, & Blankenship, 2011;Ramesh, Ganju, Mahapatra, Mishra, & Saggurti, 2012;Reed et al, 2016) and on the high end globally (Carlson et al, 2012;Deering et al, 2014;Hail-Jares et al, 2015;Pack et al, 2013;Schwitters et al, 2015;Semple et al, 2015;Ulibarri et al, 2014;Wechsberg, Luseno, & Lam, 2005;Wilson et al, 2016;Zhang et al, 2013;Zhang et al, 2015), although different definitions (e.g., physical or sexual violence or a combination) and time frames make comparisons hard. Notable in our study as well is that more report abuse by primary partners than by clients.…”

Sexual and Reproductive Health Knowledge, Contraception Uptake, and Factors Associated with Unmet Need for Modern Contraception among Adolescent Female Sex Workers in China

“…This was associated with lower SRH knowledge and poorer service utilisation. Research with other Chinese FSWs has found the proportion ever experiencing violence to range from 16% to 58%[ 43 – 45 ]. Sexual and gender-based violence against FSWs is a pervasive and complex issue, and addressing this requires input from multiple sectors including the community, health, police and legal sectors.…”

El impacto psicológico del estigma de prostituta

“…El rol como prostituta se opone a los mandatos sociales que marcan el comportamiento sexual femenino socialmente aceptado. Así, por ejemplo, en China (Zhang et al, 2015), para ser aceptadas, las mujeres tienen que ser amables, pasivas y sexualmente inocentes. En India (Pandiyan, 2014), es incompatible la aceptabilidad social con el sexo prematrimonial.…”