"Jaboya" vs. "Jakambi": Status, Negotiation and HIV Risk among Migrant Women in the “Sex-for-Fish” Economy in Nyanza Province, Kenya

Carol S. Camlin, University of California, San Francisco
Zachary Kwena, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)
Shari L. Dworkin, University of California, San Francisco

Background: In Nyanza Province, HIV incidence is highest (26.2%) in beach communities on Lake Victoria. Prior research documented high mobility and HIV risks among fishermen; the mobility patterns and HIV risks faced by women in fishing communities are less well-researched. Aims: To characterize the forms of migration and mobility among women in the fish trade in Nyanza; the spatial and social features of beach villages; and characteristics of the sex-for-fish economy and its implications for HIV prevention. Methods: Qualitative methods, including 6 months of participant observation and field notes in women’s common migration destinations in and surrounding Kisumu, and in-depth semi-structured interviews with 15 male and 40 female migrants selected from these destinations. Data were analyzed using Atlas.ti software. Results: Female fish traders are often migrants to beaches and also highly mobile. They are at high risk of HIV transmission and infection via their exchange of sex-for-fish with "jaboya" fishermen.