Behaviourial Data

In total, 636 women were contacted at the three border sites (267 at Livingstone, 145 at Chirundu and 224 at Chipata) between February 25 and April 15, 2000. Only three women (0.5%) refused to participate. For three other women, biological specimen were available, but no questionnaire. Six women had incomplete questionnaires, with only some socio-demographic data and no biological data, and were therefore excluded from the analysis. This left 624 women remaining with sufficient questionnaire data: 261 from Livingstone, 143 from Chirundu and 220 from Chipata.

1. Socio-demographic characteristics of the study population

Table 1 presents the socio-demographic characteristics of the study population by site.

Age
The mean age of the study population was 23 years with the 20- to 24-year-old age group accounting for more than a third of the women. Teenagers accounted for 37% of the population, with eight girls (1.3%) under 15 years. The youngest girls reported to be only 13 years old. The age distribution was similar in the three sites.

Education
The median number of total years of education was eight, with very few women reporting no education at all. The majority (81.4%) had completed at least primary school (which corresponds with 7^th class); 48% had completed junior secondary school (9^th class); and 8% completed senior secondary school (12^th class). One woman reported having superior education. In Chirundu, women were slightly less educated, and in Livingstone slightly more.

Religion
Most women (98.1%) reported belonging to a church. The most frequently mentioned church was the Catholic Church (31.4%), followed by the Pentecostal Church (12.7%) and the Reformed Church of Zambia (11.5%). Also the Apostolic Church (8.3%), the United Church of Zambia (5.9%) and the Seventh Day Adventist Church (5.4%) were frequently mentioned. The distribution differed slightly by site, with the Catholic Church being stronger in Chirundu (40.6%) and the Reformed Church of Zambia stronger in Chipata (27.3%).

Table 1.1: Socio-demographic characteristics of the study population by border site

Marital situation
Of the total study population, 48% of the women said that they had been married. This proportion was higher in Chirundu, where almost two-thirds of women (66.2%) had been married. Only 6.8% of the women said they were currently officially married, of which less than half (2.6%) was also living with the spouse. In total, 71.3% of the women were living alone at the time of the study. This proportion was the highest in Livingstone (83.1%) and the lowest in Chipata (54.1%). For those who reported having been married, the median age at marriage was 18 years. Of those currently married, 69.4% reported that their spouse had other wives.

Table 1.2: Socio-demographic characteristics of the study population by border site (continued)

¹ Only those ever married are included
² Only those currently married are included

Ethnic group
The distribution by ethnic group differed from one site to another. In Livingstone, the most common ethnic group was Lozi, in Chirundu, Tonga and in Chipata, Nsenga or Nsoni. However, not all common ethnic groups of Zambia were listed. In both Chirundu and Chipata, a significant proportion of the women said that they belonged to an ethnic group other than the groups listed (41.3% and 36.5% respectively).

Residence
A significant proportion of women reported that they were born in a province other than the one they currently reside in. Only 64%, 43% and 50% in Livingstone, Chirundu and Chipata respectively reported to be born in their province of residence. The median period of current residence was also rather low (5.9 years), with a clearly longer median period in Livingstone (12.5 years) than in the two other sites (2 and 4 years for Chirundu and Chipata respectively).

Table 1.3: Socio-demographic characteristics of the study population by border site (continued)

Occupation
About one-third of the women (33.4%) reported having another occupation other than sex work, most commonly marketeer (52.7% of those reporting another occupation). In Livingstone and Chipata, a significant number were waitresses (15.4% and 16.7% of those reporting another occupation respectively). In Chirundu, 43.1% of those reporting another occupation reported an occupation other than marketeer, waitress or restaurant owner. Fifty-eight percent of the women who were interviewed said that they were supporting others, with the number of people supported ranging from 1 to 18, the median being 2.

Table 1.4: Socio-demographic characteristics of the study population by border site (continued)

¹ Only those with occupation other than sex work are included
² Only those supporting someone are included

2. Behavioural characteristics of the study population

Table 2 presents the behavioural characteristics of the study population by site.

Alcohol and drug use
Most women (71.0%) used alcohol at least once a week, but only a small proportion (14.2%) used it on a daily basis. Alcohol use was the highest in Livingstone, followed by Chirundu and Chipata. About one-quarter (23.8%) admitted having used drugs. Most of these (98.0%) reported using daga (marijuana). Nine women reported using a hard drug (heroin or cocaine).

Table 2.1: Alcohol and drug use by the study population

¹ Only those who ever used drugs are included

Time Period and place of sex work
The median age of sexual debut was 15 years for women at all sites. The median age for starting sex work was 17 years. Almost all women (99.5%) reported doing sex work elsewhere before. Of these, 41.9% reported doing sex work in a province other than the one currently residing in, with the highest percentage among women from Chirundu (53.8%) and the lowest among women from Chipata (32.0%). The median time period of sex work in the current residence was 1.7 years. The turnover is the highest in Chirundu (median 1 year), followed by Chipata (1.2 years) and Livingstone (2 years).

Table 2.2: Characteristics of sex work of the study population