Sexual Behaviour of Long Distance Truckers in India
Arvind Pandey, S.K. Benara, R.M. Mishra, D. Sahu, Nandini Roy, U. Senguptra, Rajat Adhikary
Background
India has one of the largest road networks with about 5 million truck drivers in the
country and about half of them ply on long distance routes traversing across state and
National Highways. The vulnerability of truckers and their helpers in the spread of HIV
has been well documented. The apparent reason for the vulnerability is due to the work
pattern that requires long separation of truckers from their home and their spouses and
indulging in high-risk sexual behaviour. It is desirable to understand their sexual
behaviour and the means being used for prevention in order to evolve any strategy to
prevent them from such vulnerability. The present paper aims to describe the sexual
behaviour of the long distance truck drivers in the country and the preventive measures
taken by them to avoid STI/HIV.
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Results
On an average the LDTDs in the sample were 30 years old. Over four-fifth of the
respondents (83-90%
were literate and three-fourths were currently married. Most of the
respondents have been working as driver for last 6–8 years except in South-East where it
was around 10 years. The mean and median duration of time spent working as a helper or
assistant driver ranged between 2-4 years for each of the four route corridors. They spend
10-12 days on one round trip, which includes time spent on driving to the destination,
unloading and reloading the next consignment and driving back to place or origin. They
spent 48–72 hours waiting at destination/ transshipment for the next consignment.
Amongst the four routes, the busiest route was South-East as only 16% of LDTDs spend
3 days or more at destination compared to other routes (NW- 30%; NS-60%; NE-31%).
Data reveals that on each of the four routes, LDTDs were indulged in high-risk behaviour
during past 12 months. The mean age at first sex varied between 18-19 years across the
four routes. The sexual debut (first sexual encounter at age less than 17) was slightly
quicker in the North-East (35%) and North-West (34%) compared to other routes North-
South (30%) and South-East (21%). Among the four routes higher proportion of
respondents (44%) from South-East reported sexual relationships with paid female
partners compared to their counterparts traveling on North-South (30%), North-West
(29%), and North-East (25%) route. A substantial proportion (North-East: 53%, North-
South: 42%, North-West: 43%, South-East: 25%) had 1-2 paid partners during the last 12
months. However, the mean number of partners was highest in the North-South (8
partners) and South-East (7 partners) route compared to North-West and North-East (5
partners). Even within a route, variation in the number of paid partners was observed.
More married respondents in South-East route reported to have paid and non-paid female
sexual partners than other route categories. On the whole, more number (48%) of
currently married truck drivers plying on South-East route had sexual partners besides
their wives compared to their counter parts (North-West – 33% & North-South -31%;
North-East-25%).
More unmarried respondents from North-South (53%) and South-East (58%) had
paid partners, while for North-East it was the least (37%). For these respondents non-paid
partners were more in North-East route (47%) and the least in North-West route (38%).
On the whole, 82% of the unmarried respondents from South-East route have at least one
sexual partner (either paid or unpaid female partner or male/hijra partner) followed by
North-South (74%), North-West (66%) and North-East (62%).
Among married respondents about 2-4 percent ever had male/hijra partner.
However, among unmarried respondents, ever had sex with male/hijra ranged from 4 to
17 percent with minimum (4%) for South-East and maximum (17%) for North-West.
Most of the currently married truck drivers have visited their spouses in last 12 months.
Larger proportion of respondents from North-West route (53%) visit wife once in a
month followed by North-South (48%), North-East (39%) and least from South-East
(17%) routes. In a month, the mean number of sexual contacts with wife was reportedly
highest among drivers traveling in the South-East route (12 contacts) compared to other
routes (6 –7 contacts). This is understandable as LDTDs in South-East route stayed with
spouse for a longer duration. There were few respondents who did not have sex with
wife in last one month and the proportion was highest in North-East (15%) and least in
South-East (2%).
Over one-third of the respondents who had paid female partners in last 12 months
reported to have the same in last one month in North-East, North-South and North-West
routes while this reported by two-fifth of respondents from South-East route. The average
sex contacts with paid female partners in last one month ranged 2–3 for the four route
corridors.
Very few respondents have consistently used condom with spouse and non-paid female
partner. Reporting of consistent condom use with non-paid partners varied among the
four routes was highest in North-South route (21%) and lowest in South-East route
(14%). While consistent condom use was considerably higher with paid female partners;
amongst all routes, consistent condom use with paid partners was highest in North-South
route (74%) and lowest in South-East route (64%).
http://iussp2009.princeton.edu/download.aspx?submissionId=91607