sex workers

Violence and Exposure to HIV among sex workers in Phnom Penh

This study, conducted among a sample of 1,000 female and transgender sex workers in Phnom Penh identifies that half of those surveyed reported being beaten by police; about a third were gang-raped by police; slightly more than one-third were gang-raped by gangsters and about three-quarters were gang-raped by clients or men pretending to be clients. Most of these rapes occurred at gunpoint or with knives or other weapons. In brothels, managers often colluded with police and favored clients to force the women into unprotected sex. In parks, police often encouraged gangsters to rape the sex workers. Both sex workers and the policemen

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

Falling through the cracks: contraceptive needs of female sex workers in Cambodia and Laos

Article in Contraception, in Press. Condom is the only method promoted for dual protection among female sex workers in most Asian countries, which may be insufficient to prevent pregnancies given sex workers’ high frequency of sexual intercourse. Respondents numbered 592 in Cambodia and 1421 in Laos. In Cambodia, 28.2% had abortions in the past year despite reporting 99.0% condom use at last commercial sex. Abortion increased with the number of clients, inconsistent condom use, recent condom breakage and recent forced unprotected sex with clients. In Laos, 26.0% of all sex workers had ever aborted as had 89.4% of those who had

A Sex Worker in Nigeria Speaks Against Violence

An article in the Nation by Leke Salaudeen explores police corruption and brutality. A Lagos sex worker, who simply identified herself as Helen, relived her experience with police. She said: “Most often, the police will come to our brothel in the night, march us into their waiting van. They will take us to either Third Mainland Bridge or the Bar Beach. They will beat and rape us. They sleep with us without protection. “Sometimes, they will search us and steal our money and then drop us and run away. If you refuse to cooperate with them, they will get rid

Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) – Including Condom Programming

This discussion paper was developed for the for the 1st Asia and the Pacific Regional Consultation on HIV and Sex Work, 12 – 15 October 2010. Among its recommendations are 1. A human rights based approach should be applied to any HIV program targeting sex workers and their clients. The illegality of sex work in most counties in the region creates an environment that facilitates harassment and hinders the delivery of prevention and care. Programs must build the capacity of sex workers to engage in advocacy with policy makers to ensure protection of their fundamental rights to safe work, fair

HIV and Sex Work in Thailand

Beginning in the late 1980s, the HIV epidemic increased rapidly in Thailand, particularly in the upper Northern region [1, 2]. In 1990‐91, soon after it was observed that the HIV epidemic was spreading among injecting drug users and sex workers, the government acted decisively, launching a nationwide campaign to reduce HIV transmission. Thailand became the first country in Asia to launch the 100% Condom Use Programme (CUP) – a collaborative effort among local authorities, public health officers, sex establishment owners, and sex workers – a target was set to ensure that clients could not purchase sexual services without condom use.

Migration & Mobility in the Context of HIV and Sex Work

This is a discussion paper prepared for the 1st Asia and the Pacific Regional Consultation on HIV and Sex Work, 12 – 15 October 2010 in Pattaya, Thailand. Among its recommendations are : 1. Cross border and regional agreements should be developed that protect the rights of sex workers to access health and social services, irrespective of their legal status (as both sex workers and as migrants). 2. Sex workers should be included in meaningful partnerships in relevant infrastructure development projects. Major development projects should include “sex worker impact studies” to obtain information when planning for associated infrastructure needs in target

Paulo Henrique Longo 1964 – 2004

Paulo Longo was a Brazilian psychologist, gay rights activist and sex worker. In 1990 Paulo established Programma Pegacao to provide services to male sex workers in Rio de Janeiro and advocate on issues that affect them. In 1992 he co-founded the International Network of Sex Work Projects which he later led for three years. Paulo was passionate about research and he was well known in international forums for his eloquent critiques of sex work research and policy. He was an editor of Research for Sex Work and Horizons’ Principal Investigator for a community based research project on community development among sex

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