Transactional sex among youths in post-conflict Liberia

This paper presents findings on sexual risk behaviours of liberian youths based on five focus-group discussions conducted with 6th and 7th graders (n=36) attending an elementary/middle school in monrovia,liberia. the purpose of the focus-group discussions was to gain an understanding of the sexual behaviours of in-school liberian adolescents. the focus-group discussions were part of a larger study to adapt an evidence-based hiv-prevention intervention-making proud choices!-for in-school youths. post-conflict conditions were discussed as a contributor to the emergence of high-risk sexual behaviours,including transactional sex,sexual violence,and lack of condom-use. transactional sex was often described by the focus-group participants as occurring between young females and older,more financially-secure males to obtain cash,food,clothing,western commodities,and school-fees and was often encouraged by parents and promoted by peers. the findings also indicate that female adolescents make choices to engage in transactional sex to gain access to a continuum of material and consumer needs. these findings suggest that individual risk-taking behaviours are nested within complex sexual economies and that hiv-prevention interventions should be considered that leverage females' agency and control. © international centre for diarrhoeal disease research,bangladesh.