New forms of transactional sex and social media: The case of Madagascar

Photo:  Antananarivo. Madagascar. Photo Marcel Crozet / ILO.

New forms of transactional sex and social media: The case of Madagascar

The project

Francesca Marchetta is piloting a research project on the New forms of transactional sex and social media: The case of Madagascar. This project is funded by the research program Emergence, one fold of the label I-Site, a research program of the Université Clermont Auvergne that promotes innovative and impactful research.

The team focuses on the vulnerability of women who are left in extreme poverty and insecurity because of harsh economic conditions. Despite their precarious situation, women do not receive any social help and support in some countries, and some might fall into prostitution to survive. The team wants to understand this phenomenon in the era of social media.

The team

The objectives of the project

Photo : On the beach, Mahajanga, Madagascar © IRD - DIDEM - Rijasolo

The aim of this project is to study the relationships between the new forms of prostitution and social media. The team wants to identify the mechanisms of adaptation to income losses. They will investigate the rise of consensual female sex in exchange of cash or gift in poor countries. They will also investigate the role and impact of social media on consensual sex practices.

The team chose Madagascar for this study because of the dire economic situation. NGOs and associations who are helping and supporting the population see and confirm the increase of different forms of transactional sex. Moreover, public services need to quantify and analyze the evolution of transactional sex to design better public policies and tackle new social and health issues. According to public health care researchers, VIH infections are rising in Madagascar, so this research is highly needed.

A research project to reinforce existing collaborations

Hugues Champeaux and Yannick Malalanirina will travel to Madagascar to conduct qualitative surveys in the first quarter of 2024. They will interview women and men on their sexual practices. For that, they can count on local partners and NGOs. They also plan to work with scholars studying vulnerability and health issues.

They will conduct the survey in urban and rural areas to get a broad vision and understanding of the situation. Indeed, they will collect precious and comprehensive data to share with researchers and policymakers.