The link between drug use and HIV/AIDS among young people in ...

misconception by those engaging in such activity that this eliminated the risk of pregnancy and/or
SIDs.
Multiple partners
All groups reported that youth engaged in multiple partnering. It was also stated that this behavior was
rampant and that monogamous relationships among both boys and girls were rare.
“I think having sex with more than one partner is more prevalent than having sex with
one partner, and this is for both males and females.” [males and females, 20-24, in
school]
It was reported by four groups that young people had sex with their friends as well as persons whom
they did not know.
“You see these young girls and them nowadays they want more than one boy. They don’t
care, they don’t even know the boy but they doing it. Sometimes you know you meet a guy
and he have a lot of money and he say he go give you money and you go and do it with
him.” [females, 14-16, out of school]
Participants reported that girls had multiple sex partners primarily for money and sexual satisfaction.
Six groups, which all included female participants, reported that girls had sex for money. Two groups
highlighted that the money was used to obtain the latest styles and fashion. It was further reported by
two of these groups that there was a growing trend for girls to have sex with older men as their means
to access to money.
“Nowadays the trend for young girls is to sleep with older men for money because there
are certain things they could get total amenities; it’s very common these days.” [males
and females, 17-19, in school]
Further, three female groups of age group 14-17 years in and out of school affirmed that older men
targeted girls to have sex with, dangling before them money and material possessions. One all female
group stated that parents also encourage child prostitution, and would even at times encourage their
daughter to have sexual relations with older men, to provide a steady flow of money. Five focus
groups indicated that girls had multiple partners for sexual fulfillment.
“Some have different partners, because one could afford to give me money, the next one
the vehicle, the next one like different things; everybody talking about the latest… so you
go and have sex for money; because the steady boyfriend not making you feel as good as
the side boyfriend [females, 14-19, in school]
Boys were reported as having sex with many girls to compete with one another and to gain status and
respect within their group.
“The boys they will have sex with many different girls and so on; they will tell their
friends …so they want that particular status… Like I have partner and they just go to see
who will sex the most girls and they keep an average; …so they getting ranks from that
and people will say ‘that my boy’ and he get a little hail up … they getting high ranks
most of them when they doing that … and people respect you, like the boys from the group
most of them respect you because you getting the girls.” [males, 14-16, in school]
It was further indicated by both genders that multiple partnering was a result of the growing trend of
unfaithfulness and as a result of their lack of faith in marriage.
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