RESEARCH TITLE

“DETERMINANTS OF SEXUAL

BEHAVIOURS

AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES

AMONG FEMALE ADOLESCENT

SEX WORKERS

IN TAMILNADU, INDIA”

INTRODUCTION AND

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Adolescents is the transitional period between child

hood to adult between the ages of 10-19 years.

Sexual exposure is occurring at ages as young as 9–12

years

Adolescent girls face two to five times the risk of

maternal mortality, unwanted pregnancies often end in

abortion. It is greater risk to adolescents than for older

women.

Adolescents also are often experience forced sexual

intercourse, sexual abuse and coercion increased risk

of contracting HIV/AIDS,

In some cultures young men are expected to have their

first sexual encounter with a prostitute.

• High proportion of females compared to males had less or no

knowledge about sex-related concepts.

• The awareness of STDs and AIDS, consequences of unprotected

sex, is vague.

• TV, films, western TV programme, pornographic materials and

Internet are main sources of sexual related information of

adolescents.

• Males are more likely to engage in pre-marital sex, than females,

“virginity is girls most valuable possession”

• Myths are common likewise, “women cannot become pregnant at

first intercourse”, “condom are not that safe”, “STI symptoms go

away on their own”, “women are responsible for transmitting

STIs/HIV,

• Knowledge about sex and attitudes towards pre-marital sex play a

crucial role in influencing their level of sexual behaviour,

• Majority of the studies on sexuality and sexual behaviour

among adolescents and young boys in India were conducted

among school and college students, many with mailed or

handed questionnaires.

• Only few studies were conducted among special groups like

slum dwellers, workers in cities, Towns, Factory workers

• Determinants of sexual behaviour and about the patterns of

sexual behaviour among young girls comparative basis is

also scarce. Information is also scarce about women specific

attitudes and standards about pre-marital and sexuality and

their effects on sexual behaviour.

CONTINUE

In view of these research gaps, the present study aims to focus on

female adolescent sex worker in the age group 15-19 years, the

study tried to understand the social, cultural and ideological

contexts within which the female adolescent sex worker explored

and experienced sexuality. It looked at the various constructions

of sexuality that the female adolescent sex worker encounter,

negotiate, and reshape. The study aimed to systematically

document information about knowledge, attitudes, and pre-

marital sexual activities and thereby, determinants and

consequences of the sexual behaviour of female adolescent sex

workers. This would help to indicate immediate and future risks.

Such an effort would bridge the gap in research and information

and contribute towards an understanding of issues related to

female adolescent sexuality.

To study the demographic and socio-economic

characteristics of female adolescent sex

workers.

To understand the factors responsible for

adolescent girls to become as sex workers.

To examine the reproductive health status of

female adolescents sex workers.

To suggest various measures to arrest the

problems and to improve the welfare of the

female adolescents.

OBJECTIVES

Conceptual Frame work study on determinants of Sexual Behaviour and their

consequences among Female Adolescent sex workers in Tamil Nadu

Chennai, Madurai and Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu

Three district will be selected based on “District

HIV/AIDS Epidemiological Profiles: Tamil Nadu”,

(NACCO, 2014). Among three district “highest

concentration of Female Sex Workers” (Chennai 14,147,

Madurai 7,887; Kanyakumari 3112)

SAMPLEFollowing procedure will apply to Sample selection.

Step 1: Try to get help from Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control

Society, Chennai.

Step 2: Contact the NGO’s among the study area which are given

services to the Sex Workers under the programme of

TNSACS or other programme.

Step 3: will select the 15-19 years age group female adolescents sex

workers from the NGOs beneficiaries list.

Step 4: And the total number of sampling will be finalized based on

the availability of the sex workers.

DATA

Interview guidelines for the in-depth interviews:

• Socio-economic characteristics of female adolescent sex

workers

• Peer group background, time spent on leisure activities and

religious attitudes and Exposure to mass media

• Information needs and source of information on sexual needs

• Knowledge about reproductive physiology, sexuality and myths,

safe sex, RTIs, STDs and HIV/AIDS

• Attitudes about sexuality, and actual practice of various forms

of sexual behaviour

• Details about the first sexual encounter of the respondents

• Reason for became as a sex workers

• Problems of female adolescent sex workers physically,

mentally, socially etc.

ETHICAL ISSUES

In order to maintain the research ethics, first

the issue and purpose of the study will be

explained to the respondent and informed

consent will be acquired from the respondent.

Secondly, anonymity and confidentiality will

be ensured to the respondent.

DATA COLLECTION

In-depth Interview method

Through the qualitative methods will adopt to collect the

information such as perception of the respondents regarding the

problems and of the society on her status. Through quantitative

method will adopt to collect the background characteristics of the

respondent.

Data analysis:

After data collection ATLAS-Ti software will be used to

analyse the data.

• India has the third largest number of people living with HIV

in the world 2.1 million at the end of 2013, HIV treatment

coverage 36 %, 64 % do not access antiretroviral and 51 %

of AIDS-related deaths occur, yet it still accounted for 38 per

cent of all new HIV infections in India (Jr Sankaran, 2006).• The highest number of zero positivity has been reported

from Tamil Nadu followed by Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh,

Manipur, Karnataka, and Nagaland, in the period SANGA

the Tamil Nadu people did not having AIDS disease, But in

history mentioned AIDS was spread through the foreign

countries (Maru.Jeya.Sridhar, 1994),

• The major (85.8%) modes of transmission of infection are

through sexual route (UN GAP report, 2013)

Continue…..

CONTINUE

• In our country “sex is basic needs and joyful to men but sex

is determine the women life”.

• In Indian women (a girl) has met any type of sexual

problems each and every minutes, (e.g) the recent, Delhi

gang rape etc.

• Government take more effort to control the sexual related

issues but cannot avoid. Most of the studies recommend the

importance and implement the sex education to avoid sexual

issues.

• Recently Tamil Nadu government given importance to the

sex education and added some lesson in school subject from

VIII to IX standard.Continue…..

CONTINUE

• In my point of view it is not suitable and not enough, I am

sorry to say to this….because this lesson based on the

foreigners references, writings/books.

• The Tamil people’s real life is based on traditional/sanga

period of rigid cultural, beliefs, norms, values in sexual

related like marriage, family and child bearing etc.

• Education is elixir of human life and it can make change.

But the education system and Tamil people’s daily life both

are having opposite direction, not only that globalization,

mass media, all are make changes the people behaviours,

• So need for the complete study about Tamil people’s sexual

behaviour to develop the Sex Education Curriculum to Tamil

Nadu.Continue…..

CONTINUE

• In 2008, Department of Population Studies, Barathiyar University

was done a complete study on Tamil Nadu Young Male Population’s

sexual behaviour.

• It is one such pioneering research work with a large sample size-

2000. (Prof.Dr.GThiruvasagam, Vice-Chancellor).

• The findings of the study are worthy to develop Curriculum for

sexual education. But it is partially fulfilled in gender based.

• If we are conducting the study on women sexual behaviour and

merge overall the study findings and we can easily make curriculum

for sex education.

• All the reproductive and sexual problems are will arrested through

given Population education including with sex education to the

student. Based on the findings of the study will try to develop

Curriculum for Sex Education.

This research work is intended may be to complete in about 12

months on the following lines:

Proposed Task/Activity Time Frame

Review of Literature &

Procuring the Data set 3 Months

Analysis of Data 3 Months

Preparation of Draft Research Report 3 Months

Finalization of Research Report 3 Months

THANKS YOU

THANKS TO HSB, IIT

BY

K.TAMILSELVI