Transcript Commercial Sex and HIV/STI Prevention

Innovative Approaches to HIV
Prevention in Commercial Sex
Cheryl Overs
Senior Programme Officer, Focused Prevention
International HIV/AIDS Alliance
Role of Commercial Sex in HIV
Epidemics
•
the right policy and programming can
reduce HIV transmission during
commercial sex dramatically
•
prevention in commercial sex averts
more secondary cases
leading to
a significant impact on the broader
dynamics of the epidemic
•
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Sex Workers:
from Grim Reaper to Agent of Change
• 1980s:
risk groups
• 1990s:
a backlash
• 2000+:
new focus
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A new paradigm
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Three Strategies
• individual /
cognitive
• participation /
empowerment
• enabling
environment
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Participation and Empowerment
Social Capital: the ability to secure benefits through
membership in networks and other social structures
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Social Inclusion
• maintaining contact with families
• access to resources
- (primary) health care
- documentation
- housing
- children’s schooling
- financial management
• self-esteem
• civil rights
• culture
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Creating an Enabling
Environment
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Opportunities for Solidarity
• wherever working conditions have been
improved solidarity among workers has
been a factor.
• mutual support and efficient use of
limited resources
• advocacy and political action- many
voices are stronger than one
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Solidarity in action
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Successful Policy and
Programming
Many interventions produce ……….
*increased condom use
*reduced STIs
Some have produced ……..
• increased literacy
• increased safe sex practices
• decreased dependence on sex
work
• increased financial autonomy
among sex workers
• reduced child & forced prostitution
• reduced injecting/needle sharing
• reduced HIV transmission
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Controversial Policy and
Programming
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Some Challenges
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mobile and migrant sex workers.
drug users
male and transgender sex workers
refreshing the messages
informal sex work
income generation and exiting strategies
linking prevention and care
safe sex skills
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Care Today IS Prevention
Tomorrow
• care settings are an opportunity to provide
access to condoms and other resources
information on rights, services and support
• reduced viral load and improved general
health leads to reduced transmission
BUT
by threatening access to care, stigma and
discrimination undermine prevention.
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Repackaging Safety and Pleasure
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International HIV/AIDS Alliance
Queensberry House
104-106 Queens Road
Brighton BN1 3XF
Tel:
+44 1273 718 900
Fax:
+44 1273 718 901
www.aidsalliance.org
www.aidsmap.com
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