Interviews with Senegalese Commercial Sex Trade Workers and Implications for Social Programming

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to assess the efficacy of the Senegalese public policy toward registered sex workers through an interview process examining their backgrounds and evaluating their knowledge of sexual health. Sixty registered sex workers in Dakar, Senegal, were interviewed at the Institut d'Hygiene Social (IHS) to investigate patient knowledge of contraceptives and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Ninety-eight percent of the women reported that, as a result of their visits to the clinic, they had increased precaution in their trade by demanding their clients use condoms and refusing clients who did not comply. Nearly 96% of the women were able to define the three main ways by which HIV is contracted, while 100% of the women reported that they used male condoms with their clients and would refuse clients who rejected the use of condoms. Senegal's proactive policy toward the safeguarding of women's health and the containment of HIV/AIDS through the legalization and monitoring of sex workers can serve as an example for success-ful strategies in the fight against the global spread of HIV/AIDS.