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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 21(4)

Improving the health of sex workers in NSW: maintaining success

Basil Donovan A B E , Christine Harcourt A , Sandra Egger C and Christopher K. Fairley D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, The University of New South Wales

B The Sydney Sexual Health Centre, Sydney Hospital

C Faculty of Law, The University of New South Wales

D School of Population Health, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne

E Corresponding author. Email: bdonovan@nchecr.unsw.edu.au

NSW Public Health Bulletin 21(4) 74-77 https://doi.org/10.1071/NB10013
Published: 27 May 2010

Abstract

NSW has a diverse sex industry that is limited in its size by modest demand. There is no evidence that decriminalisation in 1995 increased the frequency of commercial sex in NSW. Though the largest sector, female brothels, is now mainly staffed by Asian women, condom use for vaginal and anal sex exceeds 99% and sexually transmissible infection rates are at historic lows. These gains are attributable to the long-term support of the NSW Department of Health in collaboration with the community-based Sex Workers Outreach Project and sexual health services, facilitated by the removal of criminal sanctions without the expense and access barriers of licensing systems.


Acknowledgment

The Law and Sexworker Health (LASH) study was funded by the NHMRC Project Grant no. 352437.


References


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