Sex Workers ’ Noncommercial Male Partners

Abstract: Female sex workers are less likely to use condoms with noncommercial male partners than clients. We compare noncommercial male partners who do and do not inject drugs in Tijuana and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. Sexual risk behaviors were more prevalent among in-jectors, who could promote HIV/sexually transmitted infection trans-mission in this region. Unprotected sex and risky drug use within commercial sexualencounters account for a substantial proportion of poor sex-ual health outcomes among female sex workers (FSWs).1 Al-though targeted interventions have successfully improved FSWs’ condom use with male clients,2Y4 25 % to 95 % of FSWs have steady, noncommercial male partners (eg, boyfriends and spouses)5Y7 with whom they are 2 to 5 times more likely to have unprotected sex compared with clients.5Y10 Limited research has identified high-risk behaviors among FSWs ’ noncommercial male partners, including intravenous, drug use and unprotected sex with con