This paper aims to describe the unique health challenges facing female commercial sex workers FSWs , including issues related to their marginalisation and difficulty accessing health care.
It proposes solutions to some of these problems. This paper addresses this sensitive subject through the methodology of a literature review, drawing on a variety of relevant published literature to inform a modern understanding of the current health challenges faced by this population. This paper discusses issues around criminalisation of commercial sex workers, complexities of family planning, sexually transmitted infection prevention, mental health and substance abuse and how increasing health-care worker awareness of the health needs of this vulnerable population can be a positive step in building trust within this relationship.
Although adoption of the proposed recommendations put forth in this paper may help to eliminate some of the barriers encountered by female sex workers, further research is recommended. The subject of commercial sex worker health care is neglected in the academic literature. This review explores the topic in an open and balanced manner and presents a broad and updated overview of the current health-care challenges faced by FSWs as well as opportunities for optimising access and quality of sex worker health care.
O'Brien, M. Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article for both commercial and non-commercial purposes , subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The human rights and health-care needs of commercial sex workers is a largely neglected subject in the medical scientific literature.
This literature review seeks to explore the broader health concerns of commercial sex workers globally, with a focus on female commercial sex workers FSWs. Commercial sex workers experience a myriad of challenges in relation to their health care, as the current laws, regulations and stigma surrounding their work impact their ability to seek unrestricted access to care globally.
