scholarly journals Sex workers are returning to work and require enhanced support in the face of COVID-19: results from a longitudinal analysis of online sex work activity and a content analysis of safer sex work guidelines

Sexual Health ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denton Callander ◽  
Étienne Meunier ◽  
Ryan DeVeau ◽  
Christian Grov ◽  
Basil Donovan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Work ◽  
Sex Workers ◽  
Virtual Work ◽  
Sexual Practices ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Work Activity ◽  
Reduction Strategies ◽  
The Face ◽  
Returning To Work ◽  
Risk Reduction Strategies

Sex workers confront unique challenges in the face of COVID-19. Data from an international sex work website popular with cisgender men and transgender men and women suggest that, after a period of physical distancing, many sex workers are returning to in-person work: from May to August 2020, active sex work profiles increased 9.4% (P < 0.001) and newly created profiles increased by 35.6% (P < 0.001). Analysis of sex work and COVID-19 guidelines published by five community-based organisations found that they focused on altering sexual practices, enhancing hygiene and pivoting to virtual work. To capitalise on these guidelines, funding and research for implementation and evaluation are needed to support COVID-19 risk reduction strategies for sex workers.

scholarly journals Investigating the effects of COVID-19 on global male sex work populations: a longitudinal study of digital data

2020 ◽  
pp. sextrans-2020-054550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denton Callander ◽  
Étienne Meunier ◽  
Ryan DeVeau ◽  
Christian Grov ◽  
Basil Donovan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Sex Work ◽  
Sex Workers ◽  
Digital Data ◽  
Sex Industry ◽  
Male Sex Workers ◽  
Male Sex Work ◽  
Reduction Strategies ◽  
Male Sex ◽  
Risk Reduction Strategies

ObjectivesRecommendations of ‘social distancing’ and home quarantines to combat the global COVID-19 pandemic have implications for sex and intimacy, including sex work. This study examined the effects of COVID-19 on male sex work globally and investigated how men who sold sex responded to and engaged with the virus in the context of work.MethodsThis study made use of an existing database of deidentified data extracted from the online profiles maintained by male sex workers on a large, international website. Website engagement metrics were calculated for the periods before (September to December 2019) and during COVID-19 (January to May 2020); Poisson regression analyses were used to assess changes over time before and after, while a content analysis was undertaken to identify modes of engagement with the virus.ResultsData were collected from 78 399 profiles representing 19 388 individuals. In the ‘before’ period, the number of active profiles was stable (inter-rate ratio (IRR)=1.01, 95% CI 0.99 to 1.01, p=0.339) but during COVID-19 decreased by 26.3% (IRR=0.90, 95% CI 0.89 to 0.91, p<0.001). Newly created profiles also decreased during COVID-19 (59.4%; IRR=0.71, 95% CI 0.69 to 0.74, p<0.001) after a period of stability. In total, 211 unique profiles explicitly referenced COVID-19; 185 (85.8%) evoked risk reduction strategies, including discontinuation of in-person services (41.2%), pivoting to virtual services (38.9%), COVID-19 status disclosure (20.9%), enhanced sanitary and screening requirements (12.3%) and restricted travel (5.2%). Some profiles, however, seemed to downplay the seriousness of COVID-19 or resist protective measures (14.7%).ConclusionsThese findings support the contention that COVID-19 has dramatically impacted the sex industry; globally, male sex workers may be facing considerable economic strain. Targeted education and outreach are needed to support male sex workers grappling with COVID-19, including around the most effective risk reduction strategies. Those involved with the sex industry must have access to state-sponsored COVID-19 financial and other aid programmes to support individual and public health.

scholarly journals A Community-Based Workshop on Addressing Dementia-Related Stigma: First Insights From a Rural Community

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 876-876
Author(s):  
Juanita Bacsu ◽  
Marc Viger ◽  
Shanthi Johnson ◽  
Megan O’Connell
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Rural Community ◽  
Warning Signs ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Reduction Strategies ◽  
Related Stigma ◽  
Risk Reduction Strategies ◽  
Different Cultures

Abstract Dementia-related stigma can delay early dementia diagnosis and lead to social isolation, depression, and suicide. Despite this knowledge, few studies identify strategies to reduce dementia-related stigma. This late-breaker poster begins to address this gap by showcasing the educational components of a community-based workshop to share study findings on reducing dementia-related stigma in rural communities. Guided by solutions-focused theory, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 seniors including family members, friends, caregivers and people affected by dementia and other forms of cognitive impairment in rural Saskatchewan, Canada. A focus group was conducted with 7 rural community leaders. The interview and focus group transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis. Based on the interview and focus group findings, educational components of the workshop included: a dementia definition, different dementia types, warning signs/symptoms, risk reduction strategies, and information on dementia-related stigma and myths. Several strategies to reduce stigma were identified ranging from hosting inter-generational programs to inviting guest speakers with dementia. This study was found to be beneficial for improving knowledge, attitudes, comfort levels, and awareness of dementia. Additional research is needed to develop, implement, and evaluate interventions to reduce dementia-related stigma in different cultures and contexts.

scholarly journals Creating Community Resilience Through Elder-Led Physical and Social Infrastructure

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 120-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel P. Aldrich ◽  
Emi Kyota
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Social Infrastructure ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Physical Infrastructure ◽  
Reduction Strategies ◽  
Aging Populations ◽  
Risk Reduction Strategies ◽  
The City

AbstractObjectiveNatural disasters and rapidly aging populations are chronic problems for societies worldwide. We investigated the effects of an intervention in Japan known asIbasho, which embeds elderly residents in vulnerable areas within larger social networks and encourages them to participate in leadership activities. This project sought to deepen the connections of these elderly residents to society and to build elderly leadership and community capacity for future crises.MethodsWe carried out surveys of participants and nonparticipant residents across the city of Ofunato in Tohoku, Japan, 1 year after the intervention began. Our surveys included questions assessing participation levels inIbasho, demographic characteristics, efficacy, social networks, and a sense of belonging.ResultsRegression analysis and propensity score matching of more than 1100 respondents showed that regular participation in theIbashoproject had a statistically significant and positive connection with various measures of social capital.ConclusionsGiven its relatively low cost and focus on deepening cohesion, we suggest that this community-based project could be replicated and scaled up in other countries to deepen resilience, elder health, and social capital. Moving away from an emphasis on investing in physical infrastructure, we believe that disaster risk reduction strategies should center on social infrastructure. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:120–126)

scholarly journals “Disadvantaged in the American-dominated internet”:Sex, Work, and Technology

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Barwulor ◽  
Allison McDonald ◽  
Eszter Hargittai ◽  
Elissa Redmiles
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Sex Work ◽  
Sex Workers ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Online Spaces ◽  
The Face ◽  
Business Needs ◽  
Internet Sex

How do people in a precarious profession leverage technology to grow their business and improve their quality of life? Sex workers sit at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities and makeup a sizable workforce: the UN estimates that at least 42 million sex workers are conducting business across the globe. Yet, little research has examined how well technology fulfills sex workers’ business needs in the face of unique social, political, legal, and safety constraints.We present interviews with 29 sex workers in Germany and Switzerland where such work is legal, offering a first HCI perspective on this population’s use of technology. While our participants demonstrate savvy navigation of online spaces, sex workers encounter frustrating barriers due to anAmerican-dominated internet that enforces puritan values globally. Our findings raise concerns about digital discrimination against sex workers and suggest concrete directions for the design of more inclusive technology.

Discontented and Jack of all trades: Revisiting male survival sex workers through modern sex work lenses

Sexualities ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 136346072110264
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Trudeau
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Sex Work ◽  
Sex Workers ◽  
African American Male ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Social Actors ◽  
Survival Sex ◽  
Nuanced Understanding

Researchers have been moving toward understanding sex workers as agentic and career-based social actors for some time. However, while these modern sex work lenses are readily applied to a variety of high-end and emerging forms of sex work, the field has often been reluctant to frame impoverished and potentially exploitative sex work in the same manner. Here, I ask whether and how the frameworks of “agency” and “career” can be applied to a population of poor male-identified survival sex workers. I use data from an innovative mixed-methods community-based approach that yields a broad sample of majority African American male survival sex workers from a large US city. I argue that by privileging respondents’ own interpretation of their lives, it is possible to construct a nuanced understanding of sex work as a “career” and to conceive of their work as both a profession and a source of disadvantage. I conclude that we should continue to focus on the voices of sex workers themselves in defining what sex work means and how it affects their lives.

Linking Risk Reduction and Community Resilience

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyunjung Ji
Keyword(s):  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Policy Design ◽  
Community Resilience ◽  
Risk Governance ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Hazard Exposure ◽  
Reduction Strategies ◽  
Risk Reduction Measures ◽  
Adaptive Resilience ◽  
Risk Reduction Strategies

Risk reduction is a policy priority in governments at all levels. Building community resilience is one of the keys to reducing disaster risks. Resilience-focused risk reduction considers the wider social, political, and cultural environments of a community and emphasizes the importance of working with community members. This is in stark contrast to the previous vulnerability-focused risk management that treats disasters as unavoidable natural events and recognizes people as passive or helpless under the unavoidable disasters. Community resilience is a critical concept in identifying visions and directions for risk reduction strategies. Community resilience has two major qualities: inherent community conditions (inherent resilience) and the community’s adaptive capacity (adaptive resilience). There are at least four components that should be included in risk reduction strategies to enhance both inherent and adaptive community resilience: risk governance, community-based risk reduction policies, non-governmental disaster entrepreneurs, and people-centered risk reduction measures. Risk governance is required to bridge the gap between national policies and local practices, scientific knowledge of natural hazards and locally accumulated knowledge, and national assistance and local actions. Community-based risk reduction policies should complement national disaster policies to reflect locally specific patterns of hazard, exposure, and resilience that are otherwise ignored in policy design process at the international and national levels. Risk reduction strategies should also encourage emergence of non-governmental entrepreneurs who can contribute to the speed and success of community relief and recovery following a disaster by resolving the immediate needs of the affected communities and transitioning people toward autonomy and self-reliance. Finally, risk reduction strategies should include people-centered policy measures that are designed to change the awareness, attitudes, and behaviors of people so that they are more prepared when facing a disaster.

scholarly journals Community-Based Responses to Negative Health Impacts of Sexual Humanitarian Anti-Trafficking Policies and the Criminalization of Sex Work and Migration in the US

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi Hoefinger ◽  
Jennifer Musto ◽  
P. G. Macioti ◽  
Anne E. Fehrenbacher ◽  
Nicola Mai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Sex Work ◽  
Sex Workers ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Community Based ◽  
The Us ◽  
And Migration ◽  
Negative Health Outcomes

System-involvement resulting from anti-trafficking interventions and the criminalization of sex work and migration results in negative health impacts on sex workers, migrants, and people with trafficking experiences. Due to their stigmatized status, sex workers and people with trafficking experiences often struggle to access affordable, unbiased, and supportive health care. This paper will use thematic analysis of qualitative data from in-depth interviews and ethnographic fieldwork with 50 migrant sex workers and trafficked persons, as well as 20 key informants from legal and social services, in New York and Los Angeles. It will highlight the work of trans-specific and sex worker–led initiatives that are internally addressing gaps in health care and the negative health consequences that result from sexual humanitarian anti-trafficking interventions that include policing, arrest, court-involvement, court-mandated social services, incarceration, and immigration detention. Our analysis focuses on the impact of criminalization on sex workers and their experiences with sexual humanitarian efforts intended to protect and control them. We argue that these grassroots community-based efforts are a survival-oriented reaction to the harms of criminalization and a response to vulnerabilities left unattended by mainstream sexual humanitarian approaches to protection and service provision that frame sex work itself as the problem. Peer-to-peer interventions such as these create solidarity and resiliency within marginalized communities, which act as protective buffers against institutionalized systemic violence and the resulting negative health outcomes. Our results suggest that broader public health support and funding for community-led health initiatives are needed to reduce barriers to health care resulting from stigma, criminalization, and ineffective anti-trafficking and humanitarian efforts. We conclude that the decriminalization of sex work and the reform of institutional practices in the US are urgently needed to reduce the overall negative health outcomes of system-involvement.

scholarly journals Re-framing the prostitute identity in Zimbabwe: An approach to Virginia Phiri’s novel Highway queen (2010)

Literator ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Nyambi
Keyword(s):  
Sex Work ◽  
Sex Workers ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Female Agency ◽  
Female Sex ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Face ◽  
Cultural Texts ◽  
Work Affect ◽  
Female Sex Work

In Zimbabwe, as in most traditionally conservative, patriarchal and Christian dominated countries, female sex work is abhorred on moral grounds as an unbecoming means of livelihood which takes away the practising woman’s social respectability. In such societies, then, the moral threat and stigma associated with female sex work affect women’s decisions on whether or not to take up sex work as a permanent means of livelihood. One can, however, ask how sustainable and stable these patriarchally constructed notions of morality and female identity are, especially in the face of crises? This article uses Virginia Phiri’s novel Highway queen, which is set in one of Zimbabwe’s economically tumultuous eras, to demonstrate how cultural texts grapple with the discourse of female sex work in contemporary Zimbabwe. The gist of my argument is that dominant prostitute identity constructs shaped by Zimbabwe’s patriarchal social and economic system are unstable. I find that the novel Highway queen manipulates such instability not only to re-inscribe sex work as a product of patriarchal impairment of female agency but, perhaps more importantly, to reflect on how women who are forced by circumstances to become sex workers can rise above their passive victimhood to achieve personal goals despite the social odds charted by patriarchy. Zooming in on the representation of the daily experiences of the female sex worker and protagonist, Sophie, the article explores the various ways in which the novel deconstructs stereotypical perceptions of female sex work and sex workers. The analysis ends with the argument that, whilst Sophie’s situation is fundamentally tragic, it affectively appeals to our sense of morality in a way which destabilises dominant (patriarchal) constructs of sex work.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document