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Syringe Confiscation as an HIV Risk Factor: The Public Health Implications of Arbitrary Policing in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

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Abstract

Female sex workers who inject drugs (FSW-IDUs) face elevated risk for HIV/STIs and constitute a key population for public health prevention. Through direct and indirect pathways including human rights violations, policing practices like syringe confiscation can compound FSW-IDU health risk and facilitate the spread of disease. We studied correlates of experiencing syringe confiscation among FSW-IDUs in northern Mexico, where formal policy allows for syringes to be available over the counter without a prescription, but police practices are often at odds with the law. FSW-IDUs reporting recent syringe sharing and unprotected sex with clients in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez were administered surveys and HIV/STI testing. Logistic regression was used to identify correlates of syringe confiscation. Among 624 respondent FSW-IDUs, prevalence of syringe confiscation in the last 6 months was 48 %. The following factors were positively associated with syringe confiscation: testing positive for HIV (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.54, 95 % confidence interval [CI] = 1.11–5.80), reporting sexual abuse by police (aOR = 12.76, 95 % CI = 6.58–24.72), engaging in groin injection (aOR = 1.84, 95 % CI = 1.15–2.93), injecting in public (aOR = 1.64; 95 % CI = 1.14–2.36), and obtaining syringes from pharmacies (aOR = 1.54; 95 % CI = 1.06–2.23). Higher education level was negatively associated with syringe confiscation (aOR = 0.92, 95 % CI = 0.87–0.98) as was frequent injection with clients within the last month (aOR = 0.64, 95 % CI = 0.44–0.94). This analysis adds to the body of evidence linking unauthorized law enforcement actions targeting high-risk groups with HIV and other adverse health outcomes. Using a public health lens to conceptualize abuse as a structural risk factor, we advocate for multi-prong prevention, systematic monitoring, and evidence-based intervention response to deleterious police practices.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the contributions of study participants and staff, including Pro-COMUSIDA A.C., Prevencasa A.C., Salud y Desarollo Comunitario de Ciudad Juárez A.C. (SADEC) and Federación Méxicana de Asociaciones Privadas (FEMAP), COLEF and UCSD for assistance with data collection, as well as the Instituto de Servicios de Salud de Estado de Baja California (ISESALUD). Funding for this study was provided by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA; R01 DA023877, D43TW008633) and for Beletsky by R25DA025771. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Views expressed are of the authors and do not reflect the views of the funding agencies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Global Public Health, University of California—San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Leo Beletsky, Tommi Gaines, Daniela Abramovitz, Alicia Vera, Jaime Arredondo & Steffanie A. Strathdee

  2. Northeastern University School of Law and Bouvé College of Health Sciences, Boston, MA, USA

    Leo Beletsky

  3. Salud y Desarollo Comunitario de Ciudad Juárez A.C. (SADEC), Ciudad Juárez, Mexico

    Remedios Lozada

  4. Prevencasa, A.C., Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico

    Remedios Lozada

  5. Universidad Autonoma de Ciudad Juarez, Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

    Hugo Staines

  6. El Colegio de la Frontera Norte, Salud del Migrante, Secretaria de Salud-Mexico, Chihuahua, Mexico

    Gudelia Rangel

  7. 400 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Leo Beletsky

  8. Federación Méxicana de Asociaciones Privadas (FEMAP), Ciudad Juárez, Mexico

    Remedios Lozada

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  1. Leo Beletsky
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Correspondence to Leo Beletsky.

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Beletsky, L., Lozada, R., Gaines, T. et al. Syringe Confiscation as an HIV Risk Factor: The Public Health Implications of Arbitrary Policing in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. J Urban Health 90, 284–298 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-012-9741-3

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