Exploring the experiences of women injecting nyaope residing in the City of Tshwane Municipality, Gauteng

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to explore the experiences of female nyaope injectors residing in City of Tshwane Municipality, Gauteng. The study was conducted at COSUP sites namely; Soshanguve, Pretoria CBD, Sunnyside, Mamelodi, Eersterust, and Attridgeville. The study focused on females who have a history of injecting nyaope, accessing substance use related services at a registered service provider within City of Tshwane Municipality, Gauteng. Research design of the study was exploratory, which is basically used to explore a new topic or learn more about phenomenon where little is known. The research approach was purely qualitative methodology. This permitted the researcher to deeply explore the lived experiences of female nyaope injectors residing in City of Tshwane Municipality, Gauteng. A qualitative in-depth interview method was used to collect data from 24 participants who took part in the study. Questions of the interview were semi-structured, in-depth one-on-one interviews and were used to explore the lived experiences of female nyaope injectors residing in City of Tshwane Municipality, Gauteng. The findings of the study revealed that females who are injecting nyaope, are at risk of contracting HIV and other blood-borne infections. The stigma that is perpetuated by families, intimate partners, communities, health care professionals, and police officers is creating a hostile environment for female nyaope injectors; which increases the risk of contracting HIV and other blood-borne infections. Harm reduction services have the potential to address the needs of female nyaope injectors if fully implemented. It can be concluded that there is a need for substance abuse service providers to implement comprehensive harm reduction services to curb HIV prevalence amongst female nyaope injectors.