Exhaustive typologies of sex workers and sex buyers in the Tanzania-Uganda borderlands in the context of health promotion and communication targeting the sex industry in Kagera Region, Tanzania

The assumption that sex buyers and sex workers are exclusively men and females respectively has for a long time informed societies, researchers and policy makers. As such, prostitution or sex work theories, research, policies, laws and interventions targeting the sex industry have exclusively focused on males as consumers of sexual services offered by females. However, with the emergence and expansion of sex tourism and female sex tourism, other categories of sex workers and sex buyers have been recognized: men who sell sex to men, men or women who sell sex to female clients and women who exclusively buy sex from or sell sex to women. Unfortunately, there is scanty information on this scenario in Tanzania and the study area in particular. We conducted a qualitative study that sought, among other objectives, to establish the typologies of sex workers and sex buyers to inform health promotion and communication interventions targeting the sex industry in the Tanzania-Uganda borderlands. Findings include 17 categories of sex workers and six categories of sex buyers. We believe the typologies presented will be user-friendly and adequately comprehensive to inform health intervention programs aiming at improving the health status of individuals in the sex industry in the Tanzania-Uganda borderlands and elsewhere.