Sexual networks in Uganda: Casual and Commercial sex in a trading town

ABSTRACT

"A longitudinal study of the sexual behavior of high-risk men and women living in a trading town on the trans-Africa highway showed that distinct sexual networks operated within the town. Forty-eight prostitutes kept daily records for 6 months of all their sexual contacts including the occupation and place of residence of each client and the price paid. Details of 4573 sexual contacts of the women were recorded. Three classes of women were identified (1) 20 ""high-class' women who charged a mean price of over US$4/- per contact. The majority of their clients were from large urban areas of Uganda (55) or neighbouring countries (32) - 70were truck-drivers or their mates; (2) 18 ""low-class' women; charging an average of US$0.4 per contanct; who were unskilled casual workers (58); (3) 10 women fell into an intermediate category in terms of price and the residence of their clients. Thirty-eight male potential clients were recruited in low-costs bars where some of the women worked. They provided similar details of their daily sexual contacts. All were resident in the toown and 22 had occupations which were classified as unskilled. Of the 1621 sexual contacts recorded by the men 25were with new partnets."