Addressing Gender-based Violence among Female Sex Workers | Center for Public Health and Human Rights

Lead: Michele Decker

CPHHR Co-Investigators: Nancy Glass, Susan Sherman, Stefan Baral, Andrea Wirtz

Our team uses community-collaborative partnerships to characterize violence against female sex workers, health impact and barriers to accessing justice, and inform prevention and response efforts. Our collaboration in Baltimore, MD with local rape crisis, domestic violence, sex work outreach and anti-trafficking programs, and HIV outreach efforts, generated INSPIRE, a brief trauma-informed intervention to support safety, violence prevention, and connection to support services for women in sex work. Evaluation efforts are underway with support from the Johns Hopkins Center for AIDS Research (P30AI094189). In collaboration with the Key Populations Program, our team is working with local partners to establish and evaluate a gender-based violence action plan in the context of HIV prevention and support programming in Cameroon. Elements include primary prevention, minimum services package for community-based organizations, and training and capacity building for health workers and peer educators working with female sex workers as well as men who have sex with men.

Publications:

DeckerMR, CragoAL, Chu SK, Sherman SG, Seshu MS, Buthelezi K, Dhaliwal M, BeyrerC. Human rights violations against sex workers: burden and effect on HIV. Lancet. 2015 Jan 10;385(9963):186-99.
DeckerMR, WirtzAL, Pretorius C, Sherman SG, Sweat MD, Baral SD, Beyrer C, Kerrigan DL. Estimating the impact of reducing violence against female sex workers on HIV epidemics in Kenya and Ukraine. Am J Reprod Immunol. 2013 Feb;69 Suppl 1:122-32
Wirtz AL, Peryshkina A, Moguilnyi V, Beyrer C, Decker M. Current and recent drug use intensifies sexual and structural HIV risk outcomes among female sex workers in the Russian Federation. Int J Drug Policy. Volume 26, Issue 8, August 2015, Pages 755–763 2015
DeckerMR, WirtzAL, Moguilnyi V, Peryshkina A, Ostrovskaya M, Nikita M, Kuznetzova J, Beyrer C. Female sex workers in three cities in Russia: HIV prevalence, risk factors and experience with targeted HIV prevention. AIDS Behav. 2014 Mar;18(3):562-72.
Decker MR, Pearson E, Illangasekare SL, Clark E, Sherman SG. Violence against women in sex work and HIV risk implications differ qualitatively by perpetrator. BMC Public Health. 2013 Sep 23;13:876. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-13-876.
Lim S, Peitzmeier S, Cange C, Papworth E, LeBreton M, Tamoufe U, Kamla A, Billong S, Fokam P, Njindam I, Decker MR, Sherman SG, Baral S. Violence against female sex workers in Cameroon: accounts of violence, harm reduction, and potential solutions. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2015 Mar 1;68 Suppl 2:S241-7.
Wirtz AL, Schwartz S, Ketende S, Grosso A, Anato S, Djarki Nadedjo F, Ouedrago G, Ky-Zerbo O, Papworth E, Baral S. Sexual violence and condom use in the context of sex work: results from two West African countries. JAIDS. 2015; 68 (Suppl 2): S171-9