Dispelling myths about sex workers and HIV

Abstract

Sex work might or might not be the oldest profession, but it has existed for millennia across all continents and cultures. Nevertheless, myths about sex work and sex workers persist (panel). These myths can denigrate, devalue, and marginalise sex workers. Some widely held and unsupported views hinder HIV responses, driving sex workers away from already scarce HIV prevention and treatment services. Here, we aim to dispel the most harmful of these myths with evidence-based literature. PanelEight myths about sex workers and HIV •All sex workers are women •All sex workers are single •Most sex workers do not want children and try to avoid pregnancy •All sex workers are trafficked or coerced •Sex workers do not and will not use condoms with clients •Sex work is illegal and therefore programmes cannot possibly be implemented •Sex work is not work •Laws against selling sex, buying sex, or owning a brothel prevent trafficking and reduce sex work •All sex workers are women •All sex workers are single •Most sex workers do not want children and try to avoid pregnancy •All sex workers are trafficked or coerced •Sex workers do not and will not use condoms with clients •Sex work is illegal and therefore programmes cannot possibly be implemented •Sex work is not work •Laws against selling sex, buying sex, or owning a brothel prevent trafficking and reduce sex work Steffanie Strathdee: “called” to HIV preventionFor Steffanie Strathdee, Associate Dean of Global Health Sciences at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) and one of the leaders of a Lancet Series on HIV prevention in sex workers, being drawn into the world of HIV/AIDS was no accident. “When I was an undergraduate in microbiology at the University of Toronto, one of my teachers didn't show up one week. He had died of AIDS”, she recalls. “Later I lost my PhD supervisor and my best friend to the disease as well, so for me, coming to work in the HIV/AIDS field was a calling, something I just had to do.” Full-Text PDF