Streets/roadsides
Most women reported that they used the streets as a first step into sex work and only moved to other locations after gaining some experience. Spots near bars/entertainment places and night car parks offered a strategic location where women usually started waiting for clients as early as 6.00 pm. These spots were normally attached to facilities which also offered spaces for sex. On the streets, women stood in groups or individually depending on their preference. Typically the streets represented those places which were close to an entertainment place and which were likely to attract sizeable numbers of patrons on a regular basis. Women took strategic places where they could be visible to passing men and tried to market their services through gestures and calling out to potential clients who were passing by or who approached them for sexual services. Clients knew these sex work spots and a man would come to pick a woman of his choice and then negotiate directly with her. This is illustrated by one street based sex worker in the quotation below:
It is like a tomato stall where someone can pick what he likes, and everyone has a way she looks to attract a man because you cannot stand there and look like someone beaten and think that you can get a man. You have to put on a nice smile even if you are not happy, then a man can choose you quickly (29 year old street based sex worker).
Once a client identified a woman of his choice, the couple would negotiate the price and venue for sex. The price was mainly determined by agreed duration of the sexual act and whether a condom was to be used or not. Women usually charged 5,000 shillings [about $2] for quick sex which they normally referred to as ‘short’ time sex and this amounted to one ejaculation/round. This ‘short’ time sex on average lasted five and never exceeded 30 minutes. Unprotected sex cost more and the cost varied between sex workers depending on the woman’s level of need and work location. However, the client seemed to gain overall control of the woman upon paying for sexual services and street based women sometimes found it hard to sustain condom use after accepting money:
One cannot avoid non condom use because some men may take you after agreeing to use it but when they reach the room; they refuse to use condoms (27 year old street based sex worker).
Similarly, after negotiating sex, a client could sometimes offer a drink at a nearby bar and sometimes women drank too much and failed to use condoms:
It is only that there is no way you could insist on condom use; because you could be having fun and you get drunk and in that case, you cannot think about condoms or the man could even break the condom without you noticing (27 year old street based worker).
Another woman mentioned that alcohol use could cause violence and suggested that sometimes clients used alcohol for sinister motives:
There are times when you are drunk and you feel you want to fight or you have a high sexual desire. In such cases, you do not even think of condoms (19 year old street based sex worker).
She added that she tries to guard against HIV infection but she will probably get it accidentally.
Even without the offers from clients, women reported consuming alcohol while on the street which they carried in sachets and small bottles or bought from nearby bars to help them cope with the emotional side of the job and the night chill.
Much as clients were solicited on streets, sex usually took place in nearby lodges, dark alleyways or homes. Although women reported that they refrained from going to clients’ homes as a way of avoiding physical and sexual violence, financial demands sometimes made this impossible to maintain. They, however, rationalised this by charging much higher fees, as much as 10,000 shillings [roughly $4] and in order to ensure that this money was safe and to avoid possibilities of non-payment by the clients, women tended to demand cash before going with clients and they kept this money with a colleague for safe custody.
The women usually shared both good and bad experiences with each other about their clients and these served as a learning experience or an opportunity for women to focus on non-violent clients. Almost all sex work spots on streets/roadsides had a so called peer leader, usually an older and experienced sex worker or former sex worker who women referred to as ‘senga’ (a Luganda term referring to a paternal aunt, who traditionally gives advice to her nieces on hygiene and sexual issues). In this case the term ‘senga’ was used figuratively to suggest an older woman who had a leadership position and often oversaw the conduct of the women. This ‘senga’ who was appointed by the sex workers tried to enforce some semblance of order amongst the group disciplining errant sex workers or settling disputes that came to her attention. To a large extent, in order to operate in a particular area, the sex workers were required to first report to this leader. They were then asked to pay a one-off fee of 30,000 to 50,000 shillings ($12 to $20) to be allowed to stand in a particular spot. This was an informal arrangement which was respected by the women as they entered into sex work. The peer leader would, in turn, introduce the new sex worker to others under her jurisdiction in that area. In rare cases, this came with some level of support in terms of finance in an emergency situation, advice or protection from police arrests, troublesome clients or settling disputes with other sex workers. Because sex work is illegal, women on the streets worried about police harassment. In some locations, women reported that they made weekly contributions of 500–1,000 Uganda shillings [less than $1] which helped keep the authorities at bay. Such women would then be protected as long as they remained within the given territory. Most women owned a mobile phone which they also used to keep contact with clients and other relevant persons for safety.
However, while staying in large groups had its advantages like providing safety against violence and possible exploitation by known clients, there were challenges of competition for clients and women had to keep employing innovative strategies to win clients. They might, for example, wear attractive and skimpy clothes, charge more attractive prices and use seductive language to attract men. This was often reported to have some challenges:
From one o’clock at night, I start moving to xxx [roadside location]. In that corridor, we are many women around that time chatting as we wait for clients. Clients do come because they know there are women to buy at that place. We compete for men as one [woman] could call out to a client but then another takes him. You then fight because that is a job, but you can sometimes get two at the same time and you give one to your friend, like that. [Laughs] Men come looking for prostitutes and when he is passing by, a woman calls out to that customer, ‘come and I offer you a cheap price’. (20 year old bar, street and phone based sex worker).
Some women said that they gained a monopoly over certain clients as some men expressed a preference for a particular sex worker. As an encounter with a client became more often, the relationship sometimes took on a more regular shape and condoms were often not used, especially if the clients had promised long term commitment. Women reported that although it was hard to conceal involvement in sex work while on streets, they saw some advantages in being on the street as they experienced high client volumes compared to indoor settings:
I prefer standing on the street as this is where I get more money. I could get like three to four clients who pay 5,000 shillings for a ‘short’ or even 10,000 for those who have money (19 year old street based sex worker).