sex work

Sex Work and the Law: the Case for Decriminalisation

This report argues that decriminalisation of sex work is as much a public health issue as an HIV and AIDS prevention issue. It outlines several key issues, considerations, challenges and recommendations for policy-makers, NGOs, sex workers and other actors in the fields of HIV and human rights, to help build a supportive and enabling environment for sex workers to realise their rights. Decriminalisation is the legal model of choice for sex workers and those who advocate for their rights. It allows for access to human rights protections, including delivery of gender equality and the ability to achieve labour protections; it

Ain't I a Woman? A Global Dialogue between the Sex Workers’ Rights movement and the Stop Violence Against Women Movement

This is a resource written by Bishakha Datta and sponsored by CASAM and CREA. The report documents a meeting entitled “Ain’t I A Woman? A Global Dialogue between the Sex Workers Rights Movement and the Stop Violence against Women Movement” from 12-14 March 2009 in Bangkok, Thailand. The report features the presentations from many great speakers including , Ruth Morgan Thomas, Anna-Louise Crago, Kaythi Win, Hua Sittipham Boonyapisomparn, Swapna Gayen and Meenakshi Kamble,Cheryl Overs and Meena Seshu Through a process that was collaborative rather than confrontational, the dialogue explored the following issues: When and where does violence occur within adult

Sexual behaviour and practices: A study of Female Sex Workers in Mumbai

Due to higher use of condoms in commercial sex and very low use with spouses, no effort was made to understand the variation in condom use with sex workers and wives. However, a logistic regression analysis was performed to understand the predictors of condom use with casual female partners. It has been found that the level of education of the study clients seems to have a significant bearing on condom use. The higher is the level of education, higher is the chance of using a condom. In case of girl friends, education also does not seem to have a significant

Harsh realities: Reasons for women's involvement in sex work in India

This study, in the Journal of AIDS and HIV Research Vol. 3(9), pp. 172-179, documents the reasons and processes for involvement of women into sex work in India. The study is based on in-depth interviews with a cross-section of commercial sex workers in four Indian states – Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. It shows that most women enter sex work due to a complex set of reasons as opposed to any one single over-riding reason. While abject poverty was cited as the main cause by almost three-fourths of the women interviewed, lack of education, financial freedom, domestic violence, family responsibility,

Recognize sex work as legitimate work

An article by Reynaga, E. in the HIV/AIDS Policy Law Review, 2008 Dec;13(2-3):97-8. It is accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation of Elena Reynaga’s plenary address at the International AIDS Conference. The leader of the Latin American sex workers rights movement Elena Reynaga argues that it is not sex work per se that makes sex workers vulnerable to HIV, but the policies that repress them. In this article, which is based on her presentation at a plenary session of the Mexico International AIDS Conference, Reygana describes how policies and law deprives sex workers of their rights and subject them to physical and sexual

The descriptive epidemiology of male sex workers in Pakistan: a biological and behavioural examination

In this study in Pakistan 3350 male and transgender sex workers were surveyed, of which 2694 were included in the study. The average age of respondents was 24.1 years (SD 6.3), and the average duration of sex work was 7.5 years (SD 5.9). Respondents averaged 30.9 (SD 2.7) paid receptive anal sex acts in the month prior to their interview, while 21.5% reported using a condom during their last occurrence of paid anal sex. Of those surveyed, HIV prevalence was 5.4 per 1000; notably, no HIV-positive respondents reported any injection drug use. Finally, intercity heterogeneity was observed on demographic, sex work and risk behaviour

2011 Report of UNAIDS Advisory Group on Sex Work – GREAT NEWS

Editorial The Report of the UNAIDS Advisory Group on Sex Work has been revised. PLRI reported that, ‘The report contains some very good material as well as evidence of the compromises sex workers rights advocates must accept if they to reach consensus with UN and government agencies.’ Among other things, the report endorsed human rights abuses in several countries including forced medical procedures (which is forbidden under the Convention on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment) and confinement under curfew in brothels (Nevada). After my letter to the sex workers on the NSWP list these unacceptable aspects of the report were removed

Eliminating Violence Against Sex Workers

In their work and lives, sex workers experience disproportionate levels of violence including police abuse, sexual assault, rape, harassment, extortion, and abuse from clients, agents (pimps), sex establishment owners, intimate partners, local residents, and public authorities. Violence against sex workers is a violation of their human rights, and increases sex workers’ vulnerability to HIV. Violence against sex workers must be understood beyond the individual incidents and in a wider context of gender and stigma. (extract from paper) Theme: Gender and Sexuality Violence discussion Paper.pdf Author: Thematic Task Team on Eliminating Violence against Sex Workers in preparation for the 1st Asia

The movement to criminalise sex work in the United States

An article in the Journal of Law and Society, Volume 37, Number 1, March 2010. Weitzer explores the growth of what he describes as a moral crusade in the US aimed at expanding the criminalisation of sex work. He shows how there is a growing trend to conflate sex work with human trafficking and explores the impact of this movement on legal norms and government policies. Weitzer believes this trend has been prompted by the expansion of the sex industry and its normalisation in American society. He makes the interesting observation that, unlike with issues like the liberalisation of drug policy

Sex Work and Laws In South Asia

This monograph attempts to demystify and explain the content of the prevalent laws in the region which are relevant to activists and practitioners working in the field. Available legislation and case law have been analyzed from the point of view of the issues of conflation of trafficking and sex work, rights of sex workers to live in liberty and dignity, the right to move freely, the right to reside in a place of choice, the right to migrate, forced and voluntary sex work, entry of minors, rescue and rehabilitation. The material available is uneven in respect to the countries in

Keyword search