HIV Prevalence and Predictors Among Rescued Sex-Trafficked Women and Girls in Mumbai, India

Although India's HIV epidemic has spread rapidly among female sex workers, and large numbers of women and girls are trafficked for sex each year, few HIV studies of this population have been conducted. In the current study, the authors examined the prevalence and predictors of HIV infection in sex-trafficked women and girls rescued from Mumbai brothels.

A total of 175 cases of sex-trafficked women and girls were reviewed for HIV test results, prevalence, risk factors and demographics.

Of the cases studied, 22.9 percent tested positive for HIV. The average age of trafficked workers with HIV was 15.9 years, compared to 17.2 years for uninfected workers (P=0.06). Minors reported longer periods of confinement than older trafficked women (18.5 months vs. 9.6 months; P=0.007). Female sex workers trafficked from the states of Karnataka and Maharashtra were more likely to be HIV-positive than those from West Bengal (odds ratio=7.35, 95 percent confidence interval: 2.23-24.21). A longer duration of brothel work was positively associated with HIV infection, with a 3-4 percent increased risk for HIV infection for each additional month of captivity.

These "findings demonstrate the need for increased attention to HIV among young victims of sex trafficking in research and practice and to the rescue of sex trafficking victims as a form of HIV prevention," researchers concluded.

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