"Cycles of Risks; The Harsh Realities of ""Married"" Adolescent Girls in an AIDS Impacted area in Rural SW Uganda."

ABSTRACT

"Objectives: To a)Profile the lives of ""married"" adolescent girls and the decisions made which may have placed them vulnerable to HIV infection b) Explore attitudes and perceptions of young girls toward the disease. pervasive in rural Rakai is the assumption that young girls are prey for older men. Although it is assumed that they are free from infection; their risk realities are far more complicated. Methods: This ethnographic study used both in depth; open ended interviews and focus groups with ""married"" girls less than 19. Results: The study site is a trading centre with high prevalence of HIV and extensive history of prostitution. This rural centre offers the young girl opportunity for employment (access to cash) as house or bar girls; and asylum from abusive situations stemming from stepmother scenarios and witchcraft in the village. Support is inevitably associated with men; either in marriage or multiple relationships. Fatalism encourages the ease with which a young girl will enter into successive relationships which constitute ""cycles"" of risk. Given the nature of the relationship; and the economic inflexibility of the partner; testing and condom negotiation are not acceptable alternatives. Conclusions: The profiles of young attached girls indicate the harsh realities many will experience in adolescent life. The voices and choices of young girls are vivid testimonials to the potential for transmission and the necessity of targeting interventions for adolescent girls."