At the end of in the world over, a total number of Out of the same population Sub-Sahara Africa bears the biggest burden with an estimated infection rate of 4. The fact that the continent has prevalence rate of 4. Globally in there were approximately 2. With million people aged between 15 and 24 the youth bracket , Africa has the youngest population in the world. This infection rate in the continent is worrying more especially when it comes to the females and the young ones who are more at disadvantaged than any given group.
In majority of the societies more especially in the third world, women and children are the most vulnerable group due to many factors namely, unequal cultural treatments including harmful traditions, social and economic status, inequitable laws, policies, etc. Though the informal sector has in many societies played crucial roles not only in livelihood of the poor and marginalized groups but in the national economy, it is not without risk or dangers e.
These commercial activities take place under different circumstances some of which involve risk taking for example, physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, kidnapping, transactional sex, even constant harassment, assault and seizure of goods by metropolitan authorities and other users of the city space, etc. In the same vein, policies have been passed to ensure free education, family strengthening programmes, social protection schemes, etc.
Nevertheless children especially the girl child is frequently seen in different locations including the car parks jostling between minivans, trucks and buses negotiating for better prices and selling small items to passengers and drivers alike. In such dangerous situations series of questions comes into some people minds such as why still such a dangerous practice despite being banned, what are the risks and abuses such innocence children are expose to? The high level of vulnerability of the women, occasioned by the conditions under which they trade are exploited by men who want to satisfy their sexual desire especially with teenagers.
In The Gambia 1. While the prevalence rate among the men is 1. The infection rate in urban areas is 1. While regionally Banjul has the lowest rate of 1. This study is meant to examine the HIV risk for adolescent petty traders at car parks. However, the main focus will be on long-distance drivers and the risk of infecting adolescent petty traders.
