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Female sex workers who reside in
supportive-housing units feel more control over negotiating condom use and have
less trouble with the police than prostitutes working the streets, a new
Canadian study found. Researchers from the University of British Columbia and
the BC Center for Excellence in HIV/AIDS surveyed 39 FSWs living in Vancouver
for the study.
The Atira Women’s Resource Society
and the RainCity Housing and Support Society (RHSS) run the FSWs’ housing
programs in Downtown Eastside under a harm-reduction model. The FSWs have a
place to live and pay rent; what they do in their own units is their business.
Security measures include female-only buildings, public surveillance cameras,
onsite staffing, and sign-in for guests and clients.
The women reported less exposure to
violence and diseases such as HIV when operating from the units, and more power
to refuse unwanted services and avoid violent abusers. The FSWs interviewed
from July 2009 to March 2010 were ages 22-58, and all reported a history of
illegal drug abuse.
Leslie Remund, associate director of
RHSS, said that under the program, a Vancouver police liaison makes onsite
visits to build relationships with the women. In addition, an onsite advocate
helps clients navigate the criminal justice system.
One interviewee who previously had
reported feeling “paranoid” about the police said officers now greet her;
another said she thought the police were pleased about the unit because it kept
the women off the streets.
[PNU editor’s note: The study,
“Negotiating Safety and Sexual Risk Reduction with Clients in Unsanctioned
Safer Indoor Sex Work Environments: a Qualitative Study,” was published in the
American Journal of Public Health (2012;102(6):1154-1159).]
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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