PEPFAR and Sex Work

This briefing paper discusses PEPFAR and its anti-prostitution pledge. PEPFAR has made anti-retroviral treatment (ART) available for many people, including sex workers.  However, PEPFAR funding contracts with organisations specify that a certain amount of this money be spent on abstinence programming.  Contracts include a clause that the organisation accepting funding is opposed to prostitution.  This has been called the 'anti-prostitution pledge' or 'anti-prostitution loyalty oath'. A 3 page summary of this briefing paper is also available.

Contents include:

• PEPFAR and why it is important
• The roots of PEPFAR
• How the pledge affects US funding of sex worker organisations and HIV programming with sex workers
• The effects on programming and organising 
• The effects on sex workers
• What can be done

You can download this 8-page PDF above. This resource is available in English, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish.