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Leaving sex work: Barriers, facilitating factors and consequences for female sex workers in northern Thailand
- Source :
- AIDS Care. 15:39-52
- Publication Year :
- 2003
- Publisher :
- Informa UK Limited, 2003.
-
Abstract
- Factors facilitating or inhibiting women's ability to leave sex work are still poorly characterized, and little is known about women's lives after they leave the profession. This paper presents findings from a qualitative study about factors affecting women's ability to leave sex work and influencing their lives after leaving. We interviewed 42 current and former female sex workers (FSWs) drawn from a cohort study of 500 FSWs in northern Thailand. All but one of the participants had quit sex work at least once. The majority experienced one or more quit-re-entry-quit cycles. Women's ability and decisions to leave sex work were determined primarily by four factors: economic situation, relationship with a steady partner, attitudes towards sex work and HIV/AIDS experience. Economic concerns, ranging from survival needs to materialistic desires, had the strongest influence. Most women perceived their risk for HIV infection to be lower after leaving sex work, but three of the 17 HIV-infected women acquired infection after having left, presumably from their steady partners. Prevention efforts should guide women as they transition out of commercial sex work. Interventions aimed at assisting women wanting to leave sex work need to address the role of economic factors.
- Subjects :
- Adult
Employment
Safe Sex
Gerontology
Health (social science)
Social Psychology
Occupational prestige
Population
HIV Infections
Cohort Studies
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)
Interview, Psychological
Humans
Medicine
Family
education
Life Style
Socioeconomic status
Sex work
education.field_of_study
business.industry
Social change
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Social environment
Middle Aged
Thailand
medicine.disease
Sex Work
Sexual Partners
Socioeconomic Factors
Income
Female
business
Attitude to Health
Cohort study
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 13600451 and 09540121
- Volume :
- 15
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- AIDS Care
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....155aaca8baf63ef8fc90df7c4dae5cc4