For peer-reviewed publications, I searched MEDLINE (from 1966) and EMBASE (from 1980) using the MeSH terms “prostitution” and “risk reduction”. UN, UNAIDS, and WHO publications were searched online with “sex work”, “sex worker”, “sex trade”, “prostitution”, “prostitute”, “survival sex”, “transactional sex”, “harm reduction”, “risk reduction”, “trafficking”, “decriminalization”, and “human rights”. The same terms were used to search psychological, social sciences, and social work
ReviewSex-work harm reduction
Section snippets
Sex-work harms
Differences in social context need to be considered for sex-work harms to be meaningful. In some societies, sex work is legal or decriminalised; sex workers have access to health and social services; and they are not heavily stigmatised or economically destitute.13 Alternatively, sex work could be a survival tactic during severe societal disruption when no services are available and life necessities are scarce.14 Most societies exist between these extremes and sex-work harms thus vary from
Strategies for sex-work harm reduction (table 2)
For centuries, sex workers have faced the harms of sex work. They have developed strategies for understanding their options, modifying their risks, and coping with their situations. Social science publications, especially the autobiographical writings of sex workers, show the logic and power they use in their day-to-day lives.2, 5, 18, 54, 55, 57, 80, 87, 88
Sex workers' coping strategies are based on personal knowledge, tradition and culture, experience, and future plans. Although intended to
Conclusions
The figure shows a conceptual framework for sex-work harm reduction. Poor determinants of health178 are often predisposing factors for individuals entering sex work. Sex workers' personal vulnerability might then act synergistically with a risky environment, exposing them to harms that lead to a reduced quality of life.179 Vulnerability, a risky environment, sex work harms, and diminished quality of life often amplify each other in an ongoing cycle. An objective of harm reduction might be to
Search strategy and selection criteria
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Sex Transm Dis
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Results of a randomized trial of male condom promotion among Madagascar sex workers
Sex Transm Infect
Environmental-structural factors significantly associated with consistent condom use among female sex workers in the Dominican Republic
AIDS
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Sex-related health risks and implications for interventions with hospitality girls in Hainan, China
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Proc Natl Acad Sci USA
Female-to-male transmission of human immunodeficiency virus
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Cited by (389)
“What will we do if we get infected?”: An interview-based study of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the health and safety of sex workers in the United States
2022, SSM - Qualitative Research in HealthSexual exploitation of trafficked children: Survey evidence from child sex workers in Bangladesh
2022, Journal of Comparative EconomicsCitation Excerpt :This is the first study to analyze the working conditions of trafficked sex workers. Female sex workers earn higher wages than other female workers, but they are exposed to serious harm, such as HIV/AIDs and violence (Arunachalam and Shah 2013; Rekart 2006). Existing studies have shown that the higher wages of female sex workers can be explained as compensation for the loss of future benefits, such as marriage and health.6
The war on drugs is a war on us: young people who use drugs and the fight for harm reduction in the Global South
2024, Harm Reduction JournalPrevalence of HIV, HBV, HCV, HPV and syphilis among female sex workers in Kurdistan, west of Iran
2024, Caspian Journal of Internal Medicine‘Blowjobs are Jobs Too’: An Exploratory Study into Victimization Experiences of Male Sex Workers in Botswana
2024, Sexuality and CultureHuman trafficking
2023, Handbook of Forensic Social Work: Theory, Policy, and Fields of Practice