Violence Against Female Sex Workers Based on Birth Country
Name: Nina Roth
School: Mailman School of Public Health, Class of 2021
Mentor: Silvia Cunto-Amesty, MD, MPH, MSEd and Pamela Baez Caraballo, MD, MSc
Abstract
Violence against female sex workers (FSWs) is high globally, however, this has not been widely studied in the Dominican Republic (DR) where sex work is legal. This study aims to explore the prevalence and types of violence experienced by FSWs in La Romana, DR. This was a cross-sectional pilot study, conducted at Clínica de Familia La Romana (CFLR) in 2019. A total of 45 FSWs who identified as female, aged 18 or older, and who had exchanged a sexual act for money within the past year were recruited. Data analysis was done using Excel. The sample consisted of 45 FSW: 24 were Dominican and 21 Venezuelan, with a total mean age of 25 years. Over half (64.4%) of FSWs had a monthly income of under $300 USD and 86.7% performed sex work in bars/clubs. Sixty-seven percent of Venezuelan FSW held advanced degrees compared with 8.3% of Dominican FSW. Notably, 57.8% of respondents experienced violence in their lifetime, but 75% of Dominican FSW reported violence compared with 38.1% of Venezuelan FSW. Dominican FSW reported physical (94.4%) and sexual (50%) violence compared to Venezuelan FSW (25%, 37.5%, respectively); prevalence of emotional violence was similarly high for both groups (83.3%, 87.5%, respectively). The pilot study indicates the need to further study FSW and their experiences with violence, and reasons for the differences in reported violence found between DR FSW and Venezuelan FSW. Future studies may assist in the design and implementation of interventions aimed at violence prevention.