Associations between sex work laws and sex workers’ health: A systematic review and meta-analysis of quantitative and qualitative studies

Source
Platt et al, PLOS Medicine
Year
2018

This systematic review and meta-analysis, led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), has found that sex workers who have experienced 'regressive policing' (including arrest, extortion and violence from police), are three times more likely to experience sexual or physical violence. The study examines the impacts of criminalisation on sex workers’ safety, health, and access to services, using data from 33 countries. Sex workers' health and safety was found to be at risk not only in countries where sex work was criminalised, but also in Canada, which has introduced the “Nordic model”, where purchasing sex is specifically criminalised.

Download the full study above, or on the PLOS website. You can also download a 2-page summary of findings above. You can read a summary of the findings on the LSHTM website. It is available in English.