Prevalence and Forms of Sexual Abuse among Female Hawkers in Sokoto State

Background: Sexual abuse is a public health problem affecting one-third of women in their lifetime and female hawkers are especially  vulnerable. This study assessed knowledge, prevalence and forms of sexual abuse among female hawkers in Sokoto metropolis. Methods: A cross-sectional study among two hundred and forty-five female hawkers using a multistage sampling technique was  conducted. A structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information from the study participants. Data were  analyzed using IBM SPSS version 25. Continuous variables were summarized as mean and standard deviation, while categorical variables  were summarized as frequencies and percentages. Inferential statistical analysis was done using chi-square test and binary logistic  regression. The level of statistical significance was set at 5% (p<0.05). Results: One hundred and twenty- three (50.2%) of the respondents  were within the 10-15 age group, 223 (91.2%) were single, and 64 (26.1%), had Quranic education. Two hundred and  nineteen (89.4%) and 26 (10.6%) had good and poor knowledge of sexual abuse respectively. The prevalence of sexual abuse was 24.5%; touching, verbal harassment and attempts at having intercourse were the commonest forms of sexual abuse reported. The living  arrangement of parents was the only predictor of sexual abuse (aOR= 4.282; C. I= 1.344-13.643). Conclusion: Free and compulsory  education for children especially the girl child and economic empowerment of parents will discourage hawking by children thus limiting  the likelihood of children being exposed to sexual exploitation.