Centre for Gender and Sexual Health Equity, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2K5, Canada.
Interdisciplinary Studies Graduate Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Jan 19;20(3):1857. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20031857.
The criminalization of sex work has been consistently shown to undermine workers' Occupational Health and Safety (OHS), including sexual health. Drawing on the 'Guide to OHS in the New Zealand Sex Industry' (the Guide), we assessed barriers to sexual health best practices among indoor sex workers in Metro Vancouver, Canada, in the context of ongoing criminalization. Part of a longstanding community-based study, this analysis drew on 47 qualitative interviews (2017-2018) with indoor sex workers and third parties. Participants' narratives were analyzed drawing on a social determinants of health framework and on the with specific focus on sexual health. Our findings suggest that sex workers and third parties utilize many sexual health strategies, including use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and peer-driven sexual health education. However, participant narratives demonstrate how structural factors such as criminalization, immigration, and stigma limit the accessibility of additional OHS best practices outlined in the and beyond, including access to non-stigmatizing sexual health assessments, and distribution of diverse PPE by third parties. Our current study supports the need for full decriminalization of sex work, including im/migrant sex work, to allow for the uptake of OHS guidelines that support the wellbeing and autonomy of all sex workers.
性工作的刑事定罪一直被证明会破坏工人的职业健康和安全（OHS），包括性健康。本研究借鉴了《新西兰性产业职业健康指南》（简称《指南》），在持续的刑事定罪背景下，评估了加拿大温哥华都会区室内性工作者实施最佳性健康实践的障碍。本分析是一项长期社区为基础的研究的一部分，该研究利用了 47 名室内性工作者和第三方的 47 次定性访谈（2017-2018 年）。参与者的叙述是根据健康的社会决定因素框架和框架进行分析的，特别关注性健康。我们的研究结果表明，性工作者和第三方采取了许多性健康策略，包括使用个人防护设备（PPE）和同行驱动的性健康教育。然而，参与者的叙述表明，结构性因素，如刑事定罪、移民和污名化，限制了《指南》和其他文件中概述的其他职业健康最佳实践的可及性，包括获得非污名化的性健康评估，以及第三方分发不同类型的 PPE。我们目前的研究支持全面非刑事化性工作，包括移民性工作，以允许采纳职业健康指南，支持所有性工作者的健康和自主权。
