Prevalence and factors associated with violence against women who exchange sex for money in Gulu City, Northern Uganda: a cross-sectional study

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorWinnie Kibone
dc.contributor.authorPebalo Francis Pebolo
dc.contributor.authorRonald Olum
dc.contributor.authorJerom Okot
dc.contributor.authorJimmyy Opee
dc.contributor.authorSilvia Awor
dc.contributor.authorSimple Ouma
dc.contributor.authorMichael Kakinda
dc.contributor.authorGrace Madraa
dc.contributor.authorFelix Bongomin
dc.date.accessioned2026-06-24T10:19:31Z
dc.date.available2026-06-24T10:19:31Z
dc.date.issued2025-04-23
dc.description.abstractBackground Gender-based violence (GBV) is a public health concern disproportionately affecting female sex workers (FSWs) globally. We investigated the prevalence and factors associated with GBV against women engaged in sex work in Gulu City, Uganda. Methods In this community-based study, we included FSWs purposely selected from hotspots within Gulu City, Uganda, between February and April 2023. Data on participants’ characteristics and history of GBV in the past 1 year prior to the interview were collected using a structured questionnaire. Bivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the factors associated with GBV. Results Of the 314 participants, 222 (70.7%) reportedly experienced GBV in the past year, most frequently economic violence (66.9%, n=210), followed by verbal violence (41.4%, n=130), physical violence (27.7%, n=87) and sexual violence (27.4%, n=86). Factors associated with GBV were secondary education level (adjusted OR (AOR): 0.17, 95%CI 0.03 to 0.87, p=0.034), history of pregnancy (AOR: 3.41, 95%CI 1.05 to 11.04, p=0.041) and places of sex work at bars (AOR: 5.59, 95%CI 2.03 to 15.38, p=0.001), night clubs (AOR: 3.69, 95%CI 1.26 to 10.61, p=0.017) and client’s place (AOR: 3.62, 95%CI 1.21 to 10.86, p=0.022). Conclusion GBV against FSWs in Gulu City, Uganda, is unacceptably high. Therefore, there is an urgent need to address violence in sex work in Uganda and similar settings worldwide through multisectoral targeted interventions and creating safer working environments by the Ministry of Health and other concerned entities.
dc.description.sponsorshipThis study was supported by a seed grant from the Centre for International Reproductive Health Training (CIRHT) at The University of Michigan (Grant/Award Number: Not Applicable), the United State of America. The funder had no role in the design and conduction of this study.
dc.identifier.citationKibone W, Pebolo PF, Olum R, et al. Prevalence and factors associated with violence against women who exchange sex for money in Gulu City, Northern Uganda: a cross-sectional study. BMJ Public Health 2025;3:e001486. doi:10.1136/ bmjph-2024-001486
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1136/bmjph-2024-001486
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14270/862
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherBMJ Public Health
dc.titlePrevalence and factors associated with violence against women who exchange sex for money in Gulu City, Northern Uganda: a cross-sectional study
dc.typeArticle

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Silvia_prevelance_2025.pdf
Size:
222.98 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.71 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download

Collections

Research Articles