Influence of peer support on HIV/STI prevention and safety amongst international migrant sex workers: A qualitative study at the Mexico-Guatemala border

Abstract

BackgroundMigrant women engaged in precarious employment, such as sex work, frequently face pronounced social isolation alongside other barriers to health and human rights. Although peer support has been identified as a critical HIV and violence prevention intervention for sex workers, little is known about access to peer support or its role in shaping health and social outcomes for migrant sex workers. This article analyses the role of peer support in shaping vulnerability and resilience related to HIV/STI prevention and violence among international migrant sex workers at the Mexico-Guatemala border.MethodsThis qualitative study is based on 31 semi-structured interviews conducted with international migrant sex workers in the Mexico-Guatemala border communities of Tapachula, Mexico and Tecún Umán and Quetzaltenango, Guatemala.ResultsPeer support was found to be critical for reducing social isolation; improving access to HIV/STI knowledge, prevention and resources; and mitigating workplace violence, particularly at the initial stages of migration and sex work. Peer support was especially critical for countering social isolation, and peers represented a valuable source of HIV/STI prevention knowledge and resources (e.g., condoms), as well as essential safety supports in the workplace. However, challenges to accessing peer support were noted, including difficulties establishing long-lasting relationships and other forms of social participation due to frequent mobility, as well as tensions among peers within some work environments. Variations in access to peer support related to country of work, work environment, sex work and migration stage, and sex work experience were also identified.ConclusionsResults indicate that peer-led and community empowerment interventions represent a promising strategy for promoting the health, safety and human rights of migrant sex workers. Tailored community empowerment interventions addressing the unique migration-related contexts and challenges faced by migrant sex workers should be a focus of future community-based research, alongside promotion of broader structural changes.

Predicting Attitudes Towards Transactional Sex: The Interactive Relationship Between Gender and Attitudes on Sexual Behaviour

“…The same can be said about two possible explanations for attitudes towards transactional sex, which previous studies have barely addressed, namely attitudes towards immigration and personal privacy. Attitudes towards immigration may interlink with attitudes towards transactional sex since migrant sex workers constitute a notable share of the sex worker population in several countries (Febres-Cordero et al 2018;Gülçür and İlkkaracan 2002;Mai 2013;Plambech 2016;Vuolajärvi 2019a;2019b). Despite the fact that numerous scholars have emphasized migrants' long-standing involvement in the sex trade around the world, only one study appears to have looked at the relationship between individual level attitudes towards immigration and transactional sex (Jakobsson and Kotsadam 2011).…”

“…The trade in sexual services is gaining ground as a budding area of study as scholars from various fields are paying increasing attention to sex trade-related issues (e.g. Crowhurst 2019; Duff et al 2015;Febres-Cordero et al 2018;Garofalo Geymonat 2019;Majic 2014;Tambiah 2005;Della Giusta, Di Tommaso and Strøm 2009;Weitzer 2005). Although interest in this area is growing and important research advancements have been made, relatively little is known about individual level attitudes towards the trade in sex and the predictors of those attitudes.…”

“…A better understanding of people's attitudes towards the trade in sex is needed since the results of previous studies are limited. Moreover, research indicates that negativity towards the sex trade may have adverse effects on sex workers' lives, including their access to health, justice, safety and social support (Duff et al 2015;Febres-Cordero et al 2018;Kuosmanen and de Cabo 2018;Kurtz et al 2005;Lazarus et al 2012;McClelland and Newell 2008;Platt et al 2018;Scambler and Paoli 2008;Vuolajärvi 2019aVuolajärvi , 2019bWeitzer 2017). Such findings are cause for concern since individuals selling sexual services face excessive risks of suffering abuse, exploitation, poor health, stigma and violence-especially under repressive policies (Levy and Jakobsson 2014;Östergren 2020;Platt et al 2018;Sloss and Harper 2004).…”

Assessing the quality, readability and reliability of online information on COVID-19: an infoveillance observational study

“…Despite the harm that misinformation may pose, especially during a pandemic in which the population’s reaction to health measures imposed by governments is of crucial importance to combat the spread of the disease (US Medicine Institute 2002), scientific evidence on the topic is scarce. Besides WHO efforts to monitor and improve the quality of information available online on this subject (Hua and Shaw 2020), the few available evidence warns of the low quality and reliability of data (Abd-Alrazaq et al 2020; Febres-Cordero et al 2018; Kouzy et al 2020). These works are, however, limited to social media content analysis and lacking standard parameters to data evaluation.…”

Latina migrants´ breastfeeding experiences living in a Spanish-speaking country : a qualitative descriptive study

“…Despite this, migrant mothers continue to face di culties for successful BF [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] . This is why some researchers suggest that culturally adapted health services are necessary to maintain BF rates in migrant mothers 10,22 .…”