Intersecting structural barriers to reporting violence among men and non-binary sex workers under end-demand criminalization in Canada

Abstract

A growing body of evidence indicates that sex work criminalization is linked to increased risk of violence and undermines the occupational health and safety (OHS) of sex workers. However, less is known about men and non-binary sex workers’ (MNBSWs) experiences with workplace violence and police-based systems for reporting violence under end-demand criminalization. To address this gap, we conducted 21 semi-structured interviews with MNBSWs in British Columbia between 2020 and 2021. Analysis drew on structural determinants of health and intersectionality frameworks. Most participants described sex work as not inherently dangerous. When participants experienced workplace violence, many described feeling morally obligated to report these incidents to protect others. However, participants experienced barriers to reporting violence to police due to intersecting sex work and substance use criminalization and stigmatization, anti-Indigenous racism, anti-poverty stigma, homophobia, transphobia, and gender stereotypes. Participants further described the need for gender-inclusive community-based systems of reporting violence against sex workers. Our findings demonstrate how intersecting forms of criminalization, stigmatization, and discrimination prevent MNBSWs from reporting workplace violence. Along with calls to decriminalize sex work and substance use, these findings highlight the need to develop community-based systems for reporting violence that account for intersecting identities, including gender, to improve OHS conditions for MNBSWs.