Condoms and sexual health education as evidence: impact of criminalization of in-call venues and managers on migrant sex workers access to HIV/STI prevention in a Canadian setting

BMC International Health and Human Rights

Research Article

J. Li¹  S. Anderson¹  Y. Lee¹  S. Goldenberg¹  J. Chettiar¹  K. Shannon²  A. Krüsi² 

[1] Gender and Sexual Health Initiative, British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, St. Paul’s Hospital, 608-1081 Burrard Street, V6Z 1Y6, Vancouver, BC, Canada;Gender and Sexual Health Initiative, British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, St. Paul’s Hospital, 608-1081 Burrard Street, V6Z 1Y6, Vancouver, BC, Canada;Faculty of Medicine, Univeristy of British Columbia, V6T 1Z3, Vancouver, BC, Canada;

关键词: Migrant sex workers;    Criminalization;    Third party actors;    HIV/AIDS;    Sexual health;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12914-016-0104-0

 received in 2016-03-01, accepted in 2016-11-09,  发布年份 2016

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundDespite a large body of evidence globally demonstrating that the criminalization of sex workers increases HIV/STI risks, we know far less about the impact of criminalization and policing of managers and in-call establishments on HIV/STI prevention among sex workers, and even less so among migrant sex workers.MethodsAnalysis draws on ethnographic fieldwork and 46 qualitative interviews with migrant sex workers, managers and business owners of in-call sex work venues in Metro Vancouver, Canada.ResultsThe criminalization of in-call venues and third parties explicitly limits sex workers’ access to HIV/STI prevention, including manager restrictions on condoms and limited onsite access to sexual health information and HIV/STI testing. With limited labour protections and socio-cultural barriers, criminalization and policing undermine the health and human rights of migrant sex workers working in –call venues.ConclusionsThis research supports growing evidence-based calls for decriminalization of sex work, including the removal of criminal sanctions targeting third parties and in-call venues, alongside programs and policies that better protect the working conditions of migrant sex workers as critical to HIV/STI prevention and human rights.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2016