Call for sex workers to be empowered

More avenues for healthcare and educational support must open for sex workers, if Barbados is to see HIV/AIDS infection rates drop drastically.

That was the view expressed by Behaviour Change Specialist at the HIV/AIDS Commission, Cecilia Neblett-Murray, as she spoke at a workshop entitled Reviewing the Steps in Implementing HIV/STI Programmer for Sex Workers, hosted in partnership with the Women’s Empowerment Movement, on Wednesday. The Women’s Empowerment Movement is a group comprising more than 20 local sex workers who advocate on behalf of those working in that sector.

Neblett-Murray said more should be done to help protect those in that line of work, who are at higher risk of contracting HIV/AIDS.

“In a world where the overwhelming majority of HIV infections are sexual transmitted, sex workers and their clients are at a heightened risk of HIV, in large measures as a result of a large number of sex partners. Vulnerabilities to HIV as a result of sex work extend to women, men, and transgender people. Although the link between sex work and HIV vulnerabilities has been recognised since the earliest days of the epidemic, surveys indicate that sex workers have inadequate access to HIV prevention services, and it is believed that the access is more limited for appropriate treatment and care,” she said.

Neblett-Murray noted that although the Ministry of Health and Wellness and other stakeholders have provided much needed aid to this at-risk group, a holistic approach is needed to educate sex workers on best practices to reduce infection rates.

“We are now looking at sound evidence and informed measures to address sex work, which constitutes an integral component of an effective comprehensive response to social work and HIV,” she said, noting that the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS provides a policy and programmatic emphasis to reduce HIV risk and vulnerabilities in the context of sex work, based on three pillars – access to HIV prevention treatment and care, support in the environment, and partnerships.

Neblett-Murray added that she and other social workers attached to the Ministry and the HIV/AIDS Commission were dedicated to being advocates for these workers, with the aim of providing better opportunities for them to earn a living.

“We were happy when the Women’s Empowerment Group came to us – a group that we were working with for like a year, trying to get them together to see how best we can advocate on their behalf.

“They may have challenges with, for example, services; they may be uncomfortable going for services – HIV-related or health services. [We] are looking at empowering them to make sure that when they go, they are comfortable in their space. We are looking at helping them with small programmes for work. We are looking at working with small businesses, looking at working with the Youth Entrepreneurship Scheme (YES) to make sure they can have other alternative means of providing for themselves,” she emphasised.