Partner Violence and HIV Risk Among Female Sex Workers in China

Global literature suggests that partner violence contributes to HIV-related vulnerability and risk among women. Female sex workers (FSWs) play a significant role in China’s skyrocketing increase of heterosexual transmission of HIV. The aim of this article is to examine the association between partner violence and HIV risk among FSWs in China. This study, based on a cross-sectional survey of 1,022 FSWs recruited from communities in China, attempted to address the relationship between partner violence and HIV risk among this vulnerable population. About 58% of the FSWs had experienced violence from their stable partners (including 55.5% reporting emotional violence, 20.1% physical violence, and 16.2% sexual violence) and 45% from their clients (including 39.7% reporting emotional violence, 17.1% physical violence, and 16.8% sexual violence). Partner violence perpetuated by either stable partners or clients was strongly associated with most of the HIV risk measures we assessed. This study confirmed the association of partner violence and HIV risk among FSWs. We call for culturally appropriate interventions for both partner violence and HIV risk reduction among FSWs in China.