Coercive experiences at sexual debut have been shown to be associated with other sexual risks throughout the life course. Using nationally representative surveys from 12β19 year old girls in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Malawi, and Uganda collected in , we examine the prevalence of sexual coercion at sexual debut among unmarried girls and its correlates.
In-depth interviews collected in with the same demographic shows that there are four primary types of sexual coercion: forced sex; pressure through money or gifts; flattery, pestering, and threatening to have sex with other girls; and passive acceptance. The article concludes with the research and policy implications of these findings. Worldwide, 40 percent of new cases of HIV infection occurred among young people between the ages of 15 and 24 years in Among those infected in sub-Saharan Africa, 59 percent are female.
What is experienced as coercion is gender- and culturally-specific. For example, youths in Nigeria stated that if a boy has spent money on a girl, then pressure from the male to engage in sex was acceptable. A growing body of research has reported significant associations between coerced sex and a range of negative reproductive and as well as psychological and emotional health outcomes. Reproductive health risks correlated with sexual coercion include sexually transmitted infections which can cause cervical cancer and infertility including HIV, unintended pregnancy which can possibly lead to unsafe abortion and as a consequence morbidity and even mortality, as well as the onset of risk-taking behaviors including other nonconsensual sexual experiences, multiple partnerships and unprotected sex.
This paper draws on results from in-depth interviews and nationally representative surveys to examine coercive experiences at sexual debut of females aged 12β19 years in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Malawi and Uganda. The larger study encompasses focus group discussions with 14β19 year olds; in-depth interviews with adolescents 12β19 years old, in-depth interviews with key adults teachers, parents, community leaders and health workers and a national survey of 12β19 year old adolescents, all of which were conducted in each of the four countries.
Gender scripts play a significant role in establishing the way sexual interaction takes place. One result of this gender inequality is that it is not commonly acceptable for girls to be sexual agents or demonstrate sexual interest. Inadequate social and legal sanctions create an environment in which sexual coercion happens largely with impunity.
