NCJ Number
240664
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 36 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2012 Pages: 354-361
Date Published
April 2012
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This study examined the degree to which transactional sex is a form of sexual exploitation and abuse among children in Rwanda.
Abstract
The study findings indicate that children in Rwanda, and in particular girls, use transactional sex as a means of survival. For girls, transactional sex was often used to deal with difficult situations, especially economic deprivation, lack of access to schools, and social and cultural pressures. The primary purpose of the study was to determine the key underlying dynamics of transactional sex as it occurs in different contexts both around the world, but particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Data for the study were obtained from interviews with adults (n=139) and children (n=52) who participated in focus groups across 3 geographic locations in Rwanda, as well as from 11 child protection stakeholders. The focus group interviews were centered on the use of transactional sex by children. Analyses of the focus group data found that children in Rwanda, and in particular girls, engaged in transactional sex for a variety of reasons: absence of a caregiver, poverty and difficulty securing basic needs, lack of education and schools, the presence of "sugar mommies" and "sugar daddies", social pressure as a conduit for sexual abuse, and the degree of urbanicity and the susceptibility to transactional sex. The findings indicate that many social and economic factors are at work in Rwanda that lead to the exploitation and abuse of children through transactional sex, and that structural interventions should be developed that address these inequalities. Directions for future research are discussed. References