In a recent report, the UN recommended the decriminalization of the world’s oldest profession to help curb the
spread of sexually transmitted diseases, especially HIV.
“Removing legal penalties for sex work assists HIV prevention and treatment programmes to reach sex workers and their clients,” the UN said in its report titled “Sex Work and the Law in Asia and the Pacific.” By legalizing prostitution, the government can make sex work safer, extend health services to sex workers and thus slow the spread of the virus.
The UN said the criminalization of sex-related jobs increases workers’ susceptibility to HIV by “fuelling stigma and discrimination, limiting access to sexual health services, condoms and harm reduction services; and adversely affecting the self esteem of sex workers and their ability to make informed choices about their health.”
The recommendation is also a move to stop the exploitation of sex workers and to give them basic rights by suggesting that their jobs, too, should have typical workplace standards in line with the law and government.
“Decriminalization enables sex workers to organize within their communities and register their organizations, obtain identification documents so that they can fully access services and entitlements, engage in advocacy and respond to the health and safety needs of their peers,” the UN said.
The UN report referenced a 2003 study that found that many street-based sex workers refused free condoms offered by outreach workers because of the police issue.
This is a very interesting approach to curb the high infection rate globally. Do you think this suggestion by the UN would work in the US to stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS?
Tom Thayer
pic: photopin.com
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