Project Description

Project Parivartan was a three-site comparative evaluation of HIV prevention programs among the high-risk, hard-to-reach population of female sex workers in southern India. Project Parivartan was unique in having collected longitudinal qualitative data from 2005 to 2012.

Work Description

Monica Biradavolu was Lead Ethnographer on this project from 2005 to 2007 and Lead Qualitative Researcher from 2007 to 2014.

• Together with the PI: designed frameworks, chose research sites, developed research tools, and made decisions on work plans, staffing and budget
• Provided intellectual and analytical leadership for qualitative and quantitative research activities
• Supervised research teams in India and the U.S. for timely execution of outputs
• Hired and trained project personnel in India and the U.S.
• Built alliances and managed relationships with clients including donors, policy makers, NGOs and researchers
• Analyzed large ethnographic dataset
• Guided teams to analyze qualitative data to synthesize findings
• Disseminated findings for diverse audiences through workshops, high quality reports, policy briefs and peer-reviewed published articles
• Oversight of IRB [Institutional Review Board] approvals for ethical conduct of research
• Presented findings at national and international conferences

Publications based on data from Project Parivartan (on which Monica Biradavolu is an author)

• “Brokers and the earnings of female sex workers”, American Sociological Review, 2016
• “Unintended consequences of community-based monitoring systems: Lessons from an HIV prevention intervention for sex workers in south India”, World Development, 2015
• “Non-barrier contraceptive use and relation to condom use behaviour by partner type among female sex workers in Andhra Pradesh, India.” Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care, 2015
• “Sex workers in HIV Prevention: From social change agents to peer educators.” Global Public Health, 2015
•  “Motherhood and HIV risk among female sex workers in Andhra Pradesh, India: The need to consider women’s life contexts.” AIDS and Behavior, 2013
• “Structural stigma, sex work and HIV: Contradictions and lessons learned from a community-led structural intervention in southern India.”  Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 2012
• “Trends in condom use among female sex workers in Andhra Pradesh, India: The impact of a community mobilization intervention.” Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 2012
• “The role of housing in determining HIV risk among female sex workers in Andhra Pradesh, India: Considering women’s life contexts.” Social Science and Medicine, 2011
• “Challenging the stigmatization of female sex workers through a community-led structural intervention: Learning from a case study of a female sex worker intervention in Andhra Pradesh, India.”AIDS Care, 2010
• “The context of economic insecurity and relation to violence and risk factors for HIV among female sex workers in Andhra Pradesh, India.” Public Health Reports, 2010
• Can sex workers regulate police? Learning from an HIV prevention project for sex workers in southern India.Social Science & Medicine, 2009
• “Power, community mobilization and condom use practices among female sex workers in Andhra Pradesh, India.” AIDS, 2008