Research on Humanities and Social Sciences www.iiste.org ISSN 2222-1719 (Paper) ISSN 2222-2863 (Online) Vol.3, No.12, 2013 97 Risky Sexual Transactions across Global Regions: Patterns and Clues from a Lagos-Based Study Olatunji Babatola * Department of Geography, University of Lagos Lagos, Nigeria Tel: +234-815-077-3061 E-mail:obabatola@unilag.edu.ng Abstract Based on the premises that the dominant analytical orientation of research on mobility–related sexuality is grossly inadequate and the incessant calls for innovative and responsive research and methodological design to address the issue, this paper explores certain gaps in the risk-sexuality inclinations of a Lagos-based group of circulatory traders. Employing relevant circulatory-cum- sexuality data of the study group, acquired by a combination of purposive and stratified random sampling designs, the paper employed a set-theoretic approach to the study population along a novel ‘origin-destination’ by ‘risky-cum-riskless’ sexuality profile. The study compared the levels and dynamics in the committal of three specific risk-sexuality variables. It went further to examine how the study population is structured in the context of the devised ‘origin-destination’ by ‘risk-riskless-sexuality’ grouping. Further, it also examined how the pattern differentiated the categorized regional destinations, in terms of the risk-designation status of their visitors. The study among others discovered the tendency for greater intensity of risky-sexuality locally than at external destinations; a modal percentage of ‘origin-destination’ riskless group, but characterised by the least mobility rate, and also a small size ‘origin- destination’ risky subgroup, but which has the greatest spatial mobility rate. The paper finally explores the research and intervention clues of its findings. Keywords: Sexuality-Risk, mobile population, disaggregated analysis, intervention, Introduction The desire to minimize or totally eliminate the decimating impact of sexually transmitted infections, particularly the HIV/AIDS underpins Social Scientists interest in HIV/AIDS since its appearance. Basically, researchers attempt to identify groups that are characterized by high risk tendencies within a given population as well as the correlates of such behaviour; with the intention to utilize them in devising HIV/AIDS combating interventions. As logical as the procedure appears, identifying the correlates of risky sexuality to serve as intervention variables may not always engender the maximum degree of intervention success, at least for two main reasons. First, in more conservative societies, where aversion is strong for socially-disapproved sex, the likelihood of obtaining reliable risky-sexuality information through the normal research survey channel is low. The implication is that sexual information provided by the ‘no-‘ and or the ‘low-risk’ groups, may offer more reliable data to compliment the less-reliable alternative for research-cum-intervention purpose. Second, attempts at identifying correlates of risky sexuality may sometimes present no definite clues; especially when the intention is to obtain a set of parsimonious correlates primarily for explanation and or intervention. Such a phenomenon is highly probable in societies that had experienced monumental crisis which undermined their economic stability and promoted loose sexuality, similar to what Adegbola and Babatola (1995) observed of the post war Freetown. Undertaking sexuality risk research in societies similar to the post-war Freetown suggests the need to employ a disaggregated data design, which analyzes respectively the correlates of ‘risky’ and ‘riskless’ sexual behaviours, rather than focussing exclusively on the former. While the first set of correlates offers clues for combative strategies, the latter highlights clues for proactive intervention. Besides the foregoing premises, an application of the set theoretic approach (Zhao and Zhang, 2005) to the analysis of risky sexual event committal, between specific origins and destinations produces between one to four distinct non-overlapping groups, among whom, the correlates of risky sexuality as well as their intervention implications may differ. The first group consists of mobile persons which both at their origins and destinations pose no danger to sexual health. The second group exhibits risky sexual disposition in their origins, but refrains from such acts at destinations. The third category on the other hand, constitutes sexuality risk at their