title: Female sex workers and their gatekeepers in China: implications for HIV/STI prevention.
abstract: Female sex workers (FSWs) play a key role in HIV/AIDS transmission and their gatekeepers play a crucial role in shaping their behaviors. Limited studies are available on the relationship between FSWs and gatekeepers. In the current study we used an ethnographic approach to examine the dynamic and multidimensional relationship of FSWs and their gatekeepers from the perspectives of both parties. We recruited 38 FSWs and 16 gatekeepers from different types of commercial sex venues in Guangxi, China, and conducted in-depth individual interviews. Our data suggest that FSWs and gatekeepers maintain an interdependent and reciprocal relationship during their business practice, but gatekeepers exert significant influence and control over FSWs. Designing culturally appropriate HIV/STI-prevention programs requires us to take advantage of the unique and crucial roles of gatekeepers. We conclude with a call for structural interventions to protect FSWs' occupational health and safety.
authors.affiliation: Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA yhong@srph.tamhsc.edu.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: Xiaoming
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Guangxi Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanning, China.
authors.forename: Yuejiao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Beihai Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beihai, China.
authors.forename: Weigui
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Guo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D012307:Risk Factors; D011477:Sex Work; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*
keywords: Asia; China, Chinese culture; HIV/AIDS prevention, sex workers; workplace