HIV and mental health services for female sex workers

Abstract

The disproportionate burden of HIV infection among female sex workers is well established, with systematic reviews and meta-analyses documenting a global HIV prevalence of 10·4% among cisgender female sex workers1 and 27·3% among transgender female sex workers.2 UNAIDS estimates that female sex workers have 30 times greater odds of acquiring HIV than do women overall.3 Sociostructural factors, such as criminalisation of sex work, gender inequality, poverty, and intersecting forms of stigma and violence, drive both the increased HIV risk and poor HIV care and treatment outcomes in female sex workers.