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Volume 20
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Article

An Evaluation of Indoor Sex Workers’ Sexual Health Access in Metro Vancouver: Applying an Occupational Health & Safety Lens in the Context of Criminalization

by
Jennie Pearson
1,2,
Sylvia Machat
1,
Jennifer McDermid
1,2,
Shira M. Goldenberg
1,3,4 and
Andrea Krüsi
1,4,*,†
1
Centre for Gender and Sexual Health Equity, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2K5, Canada
2
Interdisciplinary Studies Graduate Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
3
Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA
4
Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Current address: 1190 Hornby St. (11th floor), Vancouver, BC V6Z 2K5, Canada.
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(3), 1857; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20031857
Submission received: 30 November 2022 / Revised: 10 January 2023 / Accepted: 16 January 2023 / Published: 19 January 2023
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical and Mental Health of Sex Workers during and Post-COVID-19 Pandemic)
Review Reports Versions Notes

Abstract

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 Guide 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 Guide 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.
Keywords: sex work; sexual health; occupational health and safety; migrant sex work sex work; sexual health; occupational health and safety; migrant sex work

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Pearson, J.; Machat, S.; McDermid, J.; Goldenberg, S.M.; Krüsi, A. An Evaluation of Indoor Sex Workers’ Sexual Health Access in Metro Vancouver: Applying an Occupational Health & Safety Lens in the Context of Criminalization. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20, 1857. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20031857

AMA Style

Pearson J, Machat S, McDermid J, Goldenberg SM, Krüsi A. An Evaluation of Indoor Sex Workers’ Sexual Health Access in Metro Vancouver: Applying an Occupational Health & Safety Lens in the Context of Criminalization. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2023; 20(3):1857. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20031857

Chicago/Turabian Style

Pearson, Jennie, Sylvia Machat, Jennifer McDermid, Shira M. Goldenberg, and Andrea Krüsi. 2023. "An Evaluation of Indoor Sex Workers’ Sexual Health Access in Metro Vancouver: Applying an Occupational Health & Safety Lens in the Context of Criminalization" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 20, no. 3: 1857. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20031857

APA Style

Pearson, J., Machat, S., McDermid, J., Goldenberg, S. M., & Krüsi, A. (2023). An Evaluation of Indoor Sex Workers’ Sexual Health Access in Metro Vancouver: Applying an Occupational Health & Safety Lens in the Context of Criminalization. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(3), 1857. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20031857

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