Substance-using women who exchange sex for money, drugs or shelter as a means of basic subsistence (ie. survival sex) have remained largely at the periphery of HIV and harm reduction policies and services across Canadian cities. This is notwithstanding global evidence of the multiple harms faced by this population, including high rates of violence and poverty, and enhanced vulnerabilities to HIV transmission among women who smoke or inject drugs. In response, a participatory-action research project was developed in partnership with a local sex work agency to examine the HIV-related vulnerabilities, barriers to accessing care, and impact of current prevention and harm reduction strategies among women in survival sex work. This paper provides a brief background of the health and drug-related harms among substance-using women in survival sex work, and outlines the development and methodology of a community-based HIV prevention research project partnership. In doing so, we discuss some of the strengths and challenges of community-based HIV prevention research, as well as some key ethical considerations, in the context of street-level sex work in an urban setting.
Background: Women engaged in survival sex work face multiple sexual and drug-related harms that directly enhance their vulnerability to HIV infection. Although research on injection-drug-using women has explored predictors of sex work and HIV infection, little information currently exists on the complex vulnerabilities to HIV transmission faced by survival sex workers in this setting. This analysis aimed to determine HIV prevalence among women engaged in survival sex work, and explore sexual and drug-related vulnerabilities associated with baseline infection.Methods: Descriptive and univariate analysis were used to explore associations with baseline HIV infection. Variables found to be associated with baseline infection at the univariate level (p<0.05) were entered into a fixed logistic regression model, adjusted for age.Results: Of a total of 198 women, baseline HIV prevalence was 26%. In multivariate logistic regression, baseline HIV infection was associated with early age of sex work initiation (<18 years) (aOR=1.
Previous studies have described links between violence, decreased condom use and drug sharing among intimate partners, though limited information exists about the predictors of drug sharing among female sex workers and their clients. The following analysis explored the association between sharing illicit drugs with clients and sexual and drug-related harms among survival sex workers. A total of 198 women participated in interview-administered questionnaires and confidential HIV testing. Of the total, 117 (59%) reported sharing drugs with clients/johns in the last six months and crack cocaine was the primary drug shared (n=108). In logistic regression analysis, sharing drugs with clients/johns was associated with borrowing a used crack pipe (AOR=5.63; 95%CI: 2.71-9.44; p<0.001), intensive/daily crack cocaine smoking (AOR=3.78; 95%CI:1.60-8.92; p<0.002), inconsistent condom use by a client/john (AOR=3.17; 95%CI:1.48-6.77; p<0.003) and having a recent bad date (verbal harassment, physical and/or sexual assault) (AOR=2.71; 95%CI:1.17-6.32; p=0.021). Sharing illicit drugs with clients/johns may be a crucial risk marker for increased violence and sexual and drug-related harms among survival sex workers. HIV prevention and harm reduction initiatives targeting both women and clients/johns are urgently needed, including enhanced support for community and peer-driven sex work initiatives, to address some of the structural facilitators for HIV transmission.
Many HIV-infected women are not realizing the benefits of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) despite significant advancements in treatment. Women in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside (DTES) are highly marginalized and struggle with multiple morbidities, unstable housing, addiction, survival sex, and elevated risk of sexual and drug-related harms, including HIV infection. Although recent studies have identified the heightened risk of HIV infection among women engaged in sex work and injection drug use, the uptake of HIV care among this population has received little attention. The objectives of this study are to evaluate the needs of women engaged in survival sex work and to assess utilization and acceptance of HAART. During November 2003, a baseline needs assessment was conducted among 159 women through a low-threshold drop-in centre servicing street-level sex workers in Vancouver. Cross-sectional data were used to describe the sociodemographic characteristics, drug use patterns, HIV/hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing and status, and attitudes towards HAART. High rates of cocaine injection, heroin injection, and smokeable crack cocaine use reflect the vulnerable and chaotic nature of this population. Although preliminary findings suggest an overall high uptake of health and social services, there was limited attention to HIV care with only 9% of the women on HAART. Self-reported barriers to accessing treatment were largely attributed to misinformation and misconceptions about treatment. Given the acceptability of accessing HAART through community interventions and women specific services, this study highlights the potential to reach this highly marginalized group and provides valuable baseline information on a population that has remained largely outside consistent HIV care.
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