Female sex workers' empowerment strategies amid HIV-related socioeconomic vulnerabilities in Cameroon

Research has consistently demonstrated that female sex workers use a variety of empowerment strategies to protect one another and their families. This study examines the strategies Cameroonian sex workers employ to do so. In-depth interviews and focus-group discussions were conducted with 100 sex workers. Coded texts were analysed for recurring themes. Sex workers reported being concernedwith physical violence and sexual assault anddemands from authorities for bribes to avoid fines and/or imprisonment. Women describedstrategies such as looking out for' each other when faced with security threats. Many reported staying in sex work to provide for their children through education and other circumstances toallow them to lead a better life.Sex worker mothers reported not using condoms when clients offered higher pay, orwith intimate partners, even when they understood the risk of HIV transmission to themselves. Concern for their children'squality of life took precedence over HIV-related risks, even when sex workers were the children's primary carers. A sex worker empowerment programmewith a focus on family-oriented services could offer an effective and novel approach to increasing coverage of HIV prevention, treatment and care in Cameroon.