Selling sex in the era of AIDS: Mobile sexworkers and STI/HIV risks

Abstract

Women in the sex trade are commonly perceived to be at a higher risk for sexually transmitted infections (STI) and have been historically blamed for the spread of diseases. Public concerns and indignation against sex trade workers have increased dramatically in the past two decades in light of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Activists for sexworkers' rights have long argued that, in industrialized countries, the majority of female sexworkers practice safe sex and are not a high risk group for STIs/HIV (e.g., McKeganey &Barnard, 1996; Morgan-Thomas, Brussa, Munk, &Jire¡sová, 2006). However, as will be discussed further in the text, reliable statistical data supporting this argument is limited and rather dated. Furthermore, situations vary in many parts of the developing world where STI/HIV prevalence among commercial sexworkers is significantly higher than among the general population (UNAIDS, 2004). Risks of contracting STIs/HIV are also higher for transgender/transsexual and male sexworkers (UNAIDS, 2004;UNAIDS &WHO, 2005) who may have sex with both men and women, thus representing a risk for both homosexual and heterosexual STI/HIV transmission (UNAIDS, 2002). Sexworkers who inject drugs are especially vulnerable to STI/HIV risks (UNAIDS, 2004; UNAIDS &WHO, 2005). In fact, the overlap between the commercial sex trade and intravenous (IV) drug use is considered by many experts to be the primary driving force behind the spread of the HIV epidemic (UNAIDS, 2004; UNAIDS &WHO, 2005). © 2007 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.