A Descriptive Profile of Abused Female Sex Workers in India.

This descriptive study presents the profiles of abused female sex workers (FSWs) in Chennai, India. Of 100 abused FSWs surveyed using a structured questionnaire, severe forms of violence by intimate partners were reported by most (98%) respondents. Of the total sample, 76% experienced violence by clients. Sexual coercion experiences of the FSWs included verbal threats (77%) and physical force (87%) by intimate partners and forced unwanted sexual acts (73%) by clients. While 39% of the women consumed alcohol before meeting a client, 26% reported that their drunkenness was a trigger for violence by clients. The findings suggest that there is an urgent need to integrate services, along with public-health interventions among FSWs to protect them from violence. Recognition of multiple identities of women in the contexts of intimate relationships versus sex work is vital in helping women to stay safe from adverse effects on health.

Prevalence and risk factors for reproductive tract infections among women in rural Vietnam.

The objective of this study was to estimate prevalence and risk factors of reproductive tract infections (RTIs) among women in Haiphong, Vietnam. In October 1998, 197 women aged 18-49 were recruited into a community-based, cross-sectional study. Of the 197 women, 95 (49.5%) were diagnosed with > or = 1 endogenous reproductive tract infections (RTI) and 7 (3.6%) with > or = 1 sexually transmitted disease (STD). In three separate multivariate analyses, age <30 years (OR = 2.5; 95% CI = 1.1, 5.8), residential mobility (OR = 2.3; 95% CI = 1.1, 4.9), self reported genital itch/discharge (OR = 2.1; 95% CI = 1.1, 4.1), and reported belief that RTI symptoms were shameful (OR = 2.5; 95% CI = 1.2, 5.0) were associated with bacterial vaginosis (BV); low education was associated with candida (OR = 2.6; 95% CI = 1.0, 6.7); > or = 1 abortion was associated with > or = 1 STD (OR = 9.2; 95% CI = 1.1, 427). The prevalence of STDs was low but the prevalence of endogenous infections was high. Abortion is a proxy for other factors, such as high risk sexual behavior in either the woman or her partner. Given the low prevalence STD in this area of Vietnam, clinical case management of women presenting with RTI symptoms should focus on treatment of the more common endogenous infections, candida and BV.