title: Factors associated with violence against female sex workers in ten Brazilian cities.
abstract: Few studies in Brazil have focused on violence against female sex workers, a theme that has attracted researchers' attention worldwide, especially due to possible associations with HIV. The current study aims to estimate the prevalence of violence against female sex workers according to type and perpetrator and to identify associated factors. A cross-sectional study was conducted with data on 2,523 female sex workers from ten Brazilian cities, and with the respondent-driven sampling (RDS). Prevalence of verbal violence was 59.5%, physical violence 38.1%, sexual violence 37.8%, intimate partner physical violence 25.2%, and violence by clients 11.7%. Factors associated with physical violence were age < 30 years (aOR = 2.27; 95%CI: 1.56-3.29), drug use (aOR = 2.02; 95%CI: 1.54-2.65), and price of trick ≤ BRL 29.00 or USD 9.00 (aOR = 1.51; 95%CI: 1.07-2.13). In conclusion, Brazilian female sex workers suffer a disproportional burden of violence. The identification of vulnerability factors is essential for interventions to safeguard human rights and control HIV.
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brasil.
authors.forename: Francisca Sueli da Silva
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brasil.
authors.forename: Edgar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Merchán-Hamann
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brasil.
authors.forename: Margarita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Urdaneta
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Comunicação e Informação Científica e Tecnológica em Saúde, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
authors.forename: Giseli Nogueira
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Damacena
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Comunicação e Informação Científica e Tecnológica em Saúde, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
authors.forename: Célia Landmann
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Szwarcwald
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D060386:Sex Workers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014754:Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult