Police-Related Correlates of Client-Perpetrated Violence Among Female Sex Workers in Baltimore City, Maryland

Footer, Katherine H.A.; Park, Ju Nyeong; Allen, Sean T.; Decker, Michele R.; Silberzahn, Bradley E.; Huettner, Steven; Galai, Noya; Sherman, Susan G.

doi:10.2105/ajph.2018.304809

Cited by 69 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…A large body of research also exists highlighting how anti-prostitution and anti-trafficking policies negatively impact health. The link between repressive carceral policies and diminished health outcomes has been explored in research focused on HIV and sexual health (Anderson et al 2016;Fehrenbacher et al forthcoming;Footer et al 2016Footer et al , 2019Shannon et al 2015), mental health (Benoit et al 2015a;Macioti et al 2017) stigma (Krüsi et al 2016;Hughto et al 2018), general health (Le Bail et al 2019), and violence (Rhodes et al 2008;Dewey et al 2015). What these studies broadly highlight is a correlation between health disparities of sex workers and experiences of policing, arrest, detention, and incarceration.…”

Section: Impact Of Peer-to-peer Interventionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Community-Based Responses to Negative Health Impacts of Sexual Humanitarian Anti-Trafficking Policies and the Criminalization of Sex Work and Migration in the US

et al. 2019

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System-involvement resulting from anti-trafficking interventions and the criminalization of sex work and migration results in negative health impacts on sex workers, migrants, and people with trafficking experiences. Due to their stigmatized status, sex workers and people with trafficking experiences often struggle to access affordable, unbiased, and supportive health care. This paper will use thematic analysis of qualitative data from in-depth interviews and ethnographic fieldwork with 50 migrant sex workers and trafficked persons, as well as 20 key informants from legal and social services, in New York and Los Angeles. It will highlight the work of trans-specific and sex worker–led initiatives that are internally addressing gaps in health care and the negative health consequences that result from sexual humanitarian anti-trafficking interventions that include policing, arrest, court-involvement, court-mandated social services, incarceration, and immigration detention. Our analysis focuses on the impact of criminalization on sex workers and their experiences with sexual humanitarian efforts intended to protect and control them. We argue that these grassroots community-based efforts are a survival-oriented reaction to the harms of criminalization and a response to vulnerabilities left unattended by mainstream sexual humanitarian approaches to protection and service provision that frame sex work itself as the problem. Peer-to-peer interventions such as these create solidarity and resiliency within marginalized communities, which act as protective buffers against institutionalized systemic violence and the resulting negative health outcomes. Our results suggest that broader public health support and funding for community-led health initiatives are needed to reduce barriers to health care resulting from stigma, criminalization, and ineffective anti-trafficking and humanitarian efforts. We conclude that the decriminalization of sex work and the reform of institutional practices in the US are urgently needed to reduce the overall negative health outcomes of system-involvement.

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Section: Impact Of Peer-to-peer Interventionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Community-Based Responses to Negative Health Impacts of Sexual Humanitarian Anti-Trafficking Policies and the Criminalization of Sex Work and Migration in the US

et al. 2019

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“…Between 12%-19% of participants across all time points missed visits due to being incarcerated during their eligibility window. Given the high rates of incarceration among our sample and U.S. street-based CFSW more broadly (2,49), future longitudinal studies of CFSW should consider developing protocols to be able to complete study visits in correctional facilities. Across all time points, 2%-8% of participants missed study visits due to moving at least one hour from Baltimore.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Sex Workers And Police Promoting Health In Risky Environments (SAPPHIRE) study was a prospective longitudinal cohort study that examined the role of police in shaping the HIV and STI risk environment of street-based FSW (2,32,(35)(36)(37). From April 2016 to August 2017, 250 CFSW were recruited through targeted sampling from 11 street-based locations in Baltimore using a mobile research van.…”

Section: The Sapphire Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Barriers and facilitators to retaining a cohort of street-based cisgender female sex workers recruited in Baltimore, Maryland, USA: Results from the SAPPHIRE study

Silberzahn

Morris

Riegger

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: Despite experiencing HIV/STIs, violence, and other morbidities at higher rates than the general public, street-based female sex workers are often absent from public health research and surveillance due to the difficulty and high costs associated with engagement and retention. The current study builds on existing literature by examining barriers and facilitators of retaining a street-based cohort of cisgender female sex workers recruited in a mobile setting in Baltimore, Maryland who participated in the SAPPHIRE study. Participants completed interviews and sexual health testing at baseline, 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-months.Methods: Retention strategies are described and discussed in light of their benefits and challenges. Strategies included collecting several forms of participant contact information, maintaining an extensive field presence by data collectors, conducting social media outreach and public record searches, and providing cash and non-cash incentives. We also calculated raw and adjusted retention proportions at each follow-up period. Lastly, baseline sample characteristics were compared by number of completed visits across demographic, structural vulnerabilities, work environment, and substance use variables using F-tests and Pearson’s chi-square tests. Results: Although there were drawbacks to each retention strategy, each method was useful in tandem in achieving a successful follow-up rate. While direct forms of contact such as phone calls, social media outreach, and email were useful for retaining more stable participants, less stable participants required extensive field-based efforts such as home and site visits that increase the likelihood of random encounters. Overall, adjusted retention exceeded 70% for the duration of the 12-month study. Participants who were younger, recently experienced homelessness, and injected drugs daily were less likely to have completed all or most follow-up visits.Conclusion: Retention of street-based female sex workers required the simultaneous use of diverse retention strategies that were tailored to participant characteristics. With familiarity of the dynamic nature of the study population characteristics, resources can be appropriately allocated to the most likely method(s) of successful retention.

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“…Police also often employ abusive policing practices in sex work environments (e.g., excessive force, criminalization for sex work when reporting GBV; Fernandez, 2016;Footer et al, 2019). The juxtaposition of unregulated yet highly policed sex industries causes many to become more vulnerable to experiencing GBV from clients, as a report of GBV may expose survivors to punishment for engaging in sex work (Footer et al, 2019). In systems where law enforcement plays a large role in GBV management, survivors who fear that their own behavior or circumstances will be criminalized are de-incentivized from seeking help and speaking out about their experiences.…”

Section: P Olice and L Aw Enforcement Interventi On Do Not Promote mentioning

confidence: 99%

Nursing work is justice work: Rethinking justice and promoting healing in survivors of gender‐based violence

Šinko

Bulgin

Fauer

et al. 2020

Public Health Nursing

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Police-Related Correlates of Client-Perpetrated Violence Among Female Sex Workers in Baltimore City, Maryland

Cited by 69 publications

References 32 publications

Community-Based Responses to Negative Health Impacts of Sexual Humanitarian Anti-Trafficking Policies and the Criminalization of Sex Work and Migration in the US

Community-Based Responses to Negative Health Impacts of Sexual Humanitarian Anti-Trafficking Policies and the Criminalization of Sex Work and Migration in the US

Barriers and facilitators to retaining a cohort of street-based cisgender female sex workers recruited in Baltimore, Maryland, USA: Results from the SAPPHIRE study

Nursing work is justice work: Rethinking justice and promoting healing in survivors of gender‐based violence

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