SEXUAL PRACTICES AND ATTITUDES OF STREET YOUTH IN BELO-HORIZONTE, BRAZIL

Street youth are at risk of HIV infection worldwide. To develop effect ive prevention strategies, information about the meanings and function s of sexual activity for street youth is needed. In this paper, data f rom structured questionnaires, focus group discussions, in-depth inter views and field observations are used to build up a picture of the sex ual culture of 9-to-18-year-olds living and/or working on the streets of a large Brazilian city. The findings reveal that these children and adolescents engage in sexual behavior that puts them at risk of sexua lly transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, and reinforce that sex i s a multi-determined and entrenched behavior in this population. Inter ventions must take into account the fact that for street youth, sex is used as a means of ensuring survival, seeking comfort, finding pleasu re, and dealing with psychological issues that arise during adolescenc e.