You have full access to this open access article. We evaluated the impact of the coronavirus disease COVID on the sex work industry and assessed how it has impacted the health and social conditions of sex workers in Singapore. We conducted a sequential exploratory mixed methods study amidst the COVID pandemic from April to October , including in-depth interviews with 24 stakeholders from the sex work industry and surveyor-administered structured surveys with sex workers.
COVID had a substantial impact on sex workers' income. The illegality of sex work, stigma, and the lack of work documentation were cited as exclusionary factors for access to alternative jobs or government relief. Sex workers had experienced an increase in food insecurity Our findings suggest that COVID has led to a loss of income for sex workers, greater food and housing insecurity, increased sexual compromise, and reduced access to medical services for sex workers. A lack of access to government relief among sex workers exacerbated such conditions.
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Efforts to address such population health inequities should be implemented. The coronavirus disease COVID pandemic was declared by the World Health Organization as a public health emergency of international concern on January 30, , and has since severely impacted the livelihood of individuals around the world World Health Organization, Not only does the loss of income faced by sex workers make them more financially vulnerable, but they are further placed in a compromised position whereby clients push boundaries and sex workers face increased pressure to take risks while working in order to compensate for their loss of income Donoho, ; Nielsen, ; Star, While the loss of clients has led to some sex workers transitioning to online work where physical interactions with clients are not necessary, there are many barriers to entry for online work—not all sex workers may be able to sustain their livelihood through such means Voynovskaya, Increased policing can expose sex workers to more harassment and violence—home raids, compulsory COVID testing, arrest, and threatened deportation of migrant sex workers Global Network of Sex Work Projects, b.
Furthermore, sex workers are often left out of government-level economic support or relief packages meant for registered freelance workers to mitigate the impact of COVID on their livelihood. While some countries have offered street-based sex workers relief, sex workers have noted that these payouts have not been enough for them due to a lack of food and shelter security Global Network of Sex Work Projects, a. While sex work remains illegal in Singapore, there exist government-regulated and licensed brothels where sex work can take place by registered, typically non-local, sex workers.
Singapore has recently witnessed a major shift in sex work from such regulated, licensed brothels, toward online and street-based settings as well as massage parlors, beauty salons, and entertainment establishments such as karaoke lounges, night clubs and discotheques Lim et al. As such latter forms of sex work remain illegal and unregulated, sex workers operating in such settings may experience a lack of access to social and health services.
