Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Coetzee coetzeej phru. Background: Female sex workers FSWs are disproportionately affected by violence from multiple partner categories.
This increases their vulnerability to HIV. Objectives: To describe patterns of violence and polyvictimization among female SWs in Soweto. Polyvictimization patterns are shown within a modified Venn diagram. Childhood sexual violence was reported by Lifetime non-partner rape was As a result of engaging in sex work in the past year, Client, police, IPV, and childhood trauma were all significantly associated with one another, with IPV being the most common co-occurrence.
Polyvictimization was seen in almost two-thirds of FSWs, and increased with exposure to discrimination. Conclusion: In Soweto, FSWs are exposed to high rates of violence in multiple forms across their lifetime. Our findings show that violence continues unabated into adulthood at levels far higher than in the general population and overall at higher levels than previously recorded among SWs in South Africa. We argue that violence against FSWs is rooted in discrimination.
The disparate burden of violence on FSWs requires urgent interventions to proactively address and reframe the normalisation of violence against all women. Despite a constitution lauded internationally for being grounded in human-rights and equal rights for women [ 4 ], the country is highly patriarchal with pervasive violence against women [ 5 ].
Evidence confirms the high exposure female sex workers FSWs have to violence. Globally, violence is associated with inconsistent condom usage, sexually transmitted infection STI and HIV acquisition, undermining economic capital, and it has a widespread social impact [ 7 — 11 ]. This may result in substance abuse or a lack of adherence to chronic medications such as antiretroviral therapy ART [ 13 ].
