Main description:

This open access book provides a comprehensive overview of the health inequities and human rights issues faced by sex workers globally across diverse contexts, and outlines evidence-based strategies and best practices.

Sex workers face severe health and social inequities, largely as the result of structural factors including punitive and criminalized legal environments, stigma, and social and economic exclusion and marginalization. Although previous work has largely emphasized an elevated burden and gaps in HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) services in sex work, less attention has been paid to the broader health and human rights concerns faced by sex workers. This contributed volume addresses this gap.

The chapters feature a variety of perspectives including academic, community, implementing partners, and government to synthesize research evidence as well as lessons learned from local-level experiences across different regions, and are organized under three parts:

Burden of health and human rights inequities faced by sex workers globally, including infectious diseases (e.g., HIV, STIs), violence, sexual and reproductive health, and drug use
Structural determinants of health and human rights, including legislation, law enforcement, community engagement, intersectoral collaboration, stigma, barriers to health access, im/migration issues, and occupational safety and health
Evidence-based services and best practices at various levels ranging from individual and community to policy-level interventions to identify best practices and avenues for future research and interventions

Sex Work, Health, and Human Rights is an essential resource for researchers, policy-makers, governments, implementing partners, international organizations and community-based organizations involved in research, policies, or programs related to sex work, public health, social justice, gender-based violence, women's health and harm reduction.

Contents:

INTRODUCTION: Rationale and overview of human rights contexts and health inequities impacting sex workers
PART 1: Epidemiology of health inequities among sex workers in different contexts 1 Global epidemiology of sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (HIV, STIs, viral hepatitis) (STBBIs)2 Global burden of violence and other human rights violations3 Global inequities in sexual and reproductive health across the lifecourse4 Sex workers' global mental health: Burden, gaps in evidence, and future directions for research5 Patterns and epidemiology of substance use among sex workers globally
PART 2: Structural determinants of sex workers' health in different contexts6 Criminalized interactions with law enforcement and impacts on health and safety: Lessons learned from sex work law reform7 'Nothing about us without us': Positive models and barriers to community mobilization and engagement8 Stigma, denial of health services, and other human rights violations faced by sex workers9 Complexities of migration and mobility: Health, racialization, and labour rights of im/migrant sex workers10 Unique health and human rights contexts faced by conflict-affected sex workers
PART 3: Evidence-based services and best practices in different contexts11 Addressing sex work criminalization to promote sex workers' health, safety, and labour protections: Best practices from decriminalized settings 12 Identifying best practices in sex worker community mobilization and empowerment to reduce stigma and promote HIV prevention13 Supportive indoor workplace interventions: Enabling health and safety at the venue level14 Integrated interventions to address sex workers' needs and realities: Incorporating structural, behavioural, and biomedical interventions
CONCLUSION: Summary of human rights contexts and health inequities impacting sex workers, evidence-based approaches, and directions for future research and integrated interventions