The situation of most of the people in the developing countries is worse due to extreme povertyrnfor majority of men and women. The situation is however worst for women. As employmentrnoppOltunities are very limited for women with no or lim ited skills, a number of women arernengaged in commercial sex work as a ways of survival. On the other hand we live in an era ofrnwhere HIV/AIDs has become the threat of not on ly health but also development of economy of arncountry .. Thus, th is situation draws attention to further research to take the necessary action.rnThis study was made with the objective of assessing the situation and problems of commercialrnsex workers in Adama city and to identify some socio-economic and socio-cultural factors thatrnlead women to involve in commercial sex work; and to identify challenges that women face in thernlife of sex business. To this end, the study uti lized both qualitative and quantitative method. Inrnthe qualitative method in-depth interv iews and focus group discussions were employed, while therncross-sectional survey method was applied to collect quantitative data. In in-depth interviews 13rnvolunteer commercial sex workers were participated, whi le four focus group discussions consistsrn6-8 members each were conducted. In addition, a total of 300 women were asked to report on thernbackground, reasons to join commercial sex work, the challenges they have even faced, etc, torngenerate quantitative data.rnThe study revealed a number of causes that lead women to commercial sex work. These includernunemployment, economic need, the urge to support fami ly, parental death, divorce, peer initiationrnand abduction. But, in general the outstanding case that women forced to join sex business isrneconomic problem that they face in their life. A number of women/girls enter to the busi ness duernto the absence of other job. Factors such as having a better life through commercial sex work;rnbetter payment to be financially guaranteed is the major causes to the invo lvement of women inrnthe commercial sel( work.rnThe result of this research also indicated that a number of women who are involved in the sexrnbusiness are exposed to tremendous challenge; such us phys ical, sexual, psychological, and socialrnstigma. They are also exposed to different sexually transmitted diseases including HIV / AIDS.rnThese women are found to be suffering from hitting, beating, and body injury by their clients.rnThey also face sexual abuse in their daily life. They are also subjected to sever painful sexualrnintercourse including abnormal (anal and oral) sex which affects their health. In general, womenrnin this business are denied their human rights.rnWomen who are involved in commercial sex work are also victims of soc ial stigma. They arernisolated, neglected and discriminated by the society in general. The negative attitude of thernsociety towards commercial sex workers made them to be iso lated from social interaction theyrnhave with their famil ies, re latives, neighbors and friends .rnIt is concluded that the necessary effOlts should be done by the government, non-governmentalrnorganizations and civic societies like women's and youth associations to eliminate the challengesrnof commercial sex workers.