Creating an Enabling Legal & Policy Environment for Increased Access to HIV & AIDS Services for Sex Workers

Source
Thematic Task Team on Creating an Enabling Legal and Policy Environment
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Year
2011

Governments and the United Nations have recognised the need to address the legal and policy barriers and stigma and discrimination faced by sex workers in order to respond to the HIV epidemic.  In many countries, laws, policies and practices against sex workers limit their right to basic social economic rights such as access to education, health care, housing, banking facilities, inheritance, property and legal services.  They may also lack citizenship or legal status, resulting from migration or unfavourable regulations, which can lead to exclusion of sex workers from health services, social programmes and communities.

The paper outlines priority issues that need to be addressed to create an enabling environment for increased access to HIV and AIDS services for sex workers, including:

  • Legal and policy frameworks impacting sex workers and HIV
  • Practices (law enforcement, policy implementation) impacting sex workers and HIV
  • Access to justice for sex workers

The paper also identifies the immediate and long terms actions required.

This paper is one in a series of 4 thematic discussion papers developed in preparation for the 1st Asia and the Pacific Regional Consultation on HIV and Sex Work, 12-15 October 2010, in Pattaya, Thailand. 

This resource is in English.  You can download this 6 page .pdf file above.