Polina is a Canadian journalist and sex workers' rights activist based in Copenhagen. She contributes to a range of publications with perspectives on sex work policy and feminism, including openDemocracy. Polina is a seasoned volunteer at The Red Van β a harm reduction initiative providing street-based sex workers in Copenhagen with an indoor, safe environment to work from.
Globally, stigma and criminalization inhibit sex workers from accessing healthcare. While long-term policy and cultural changes should be the ultimate goal, harm reduction can provide a short-term solution.
As COVID continues to wreak havoc on global health, it affects socially marginalized and vulnerable people the most. This includes migrant sex workers , who make up the vast majority of sex workers in Europe. Finally, social distancing regulations have compromised the ability of grassroots organizations and NGOs to provide healthcare services i. They exacerbate a persistent issue: a variety of complex, intersecting, sociopolitical factors hinder this population from accessing healthcare β which is a human rights violation.
WHO defines the universal right to health as a human right, inclusive of the right to freedoms and entitlements. But vulnerable sex workers do not have the luxury of enjoying this human right. Although long-term solutions are the ultimate goal in terms of enabling this group of people to access the human right of health on a permanent basis, short-term solutions can alleviate some of their struggles today. It is important to note that the following recommendations are by no means exhaustive; they merely offer an entry point into thinking about ethical and effective healthcare solutions for sex workers.
Moreover, my perspective is rooted in my specific knowledge base. Finally, I am not a sex worker but an ally. While my recommendations are informed by experience in the field, ultimately, sex workers know best about the healthcare solutions they need. Sex workers struggle to access healthcare due to a variety of intersecting issues. Perhaps the most influential are stigma and criminalization. Stigma against sex workers is almost universal.
