Sex Work, Health, and Human Rights: Global Inequities, Challenges, and Opportunities for Action

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHRH-12-2022-214
• Published date: 12 December 2022
• Date: 12 December 2022
• Pages: 499-500
• Subject Matter: Health & social care,Vulnerable groups,Inequalities & diverse/minority groups,Sociology,Race & ethnic studies,Minorities,Multiculturalism,Racial identity,Work,economy & organizations
• Author: Fung Kei Cheng

Book review

Sex Work, Health, and Human

Rights: Global Inequities,

Challenges, and Opportunities

for Action

Shira M. Goldenberg, Ruth Morgan

Thomas, Anna Forbes and Stefan Baral

(Eds) (2021).

Cham, Switzerland

Springer Nature Switzerland AG

p. 272

e49.99 (hardcover book)

ISBN 978-3-030-64170-2,

ISBN 978-3-030-64171-9 (eBook)

Review DOI

10.1108/IJHRH-12-2022-214

Sex work is controversialin

many cultures but attracts

cross-disciplinarystudy in the

field of academics.The edited volume,

Sex Work, Health, and HumanRights:

Global Inequities,Challenges, and

Opportunitiesfor Action, pays close

attention to this industry,with a focus

on the global sex workers’ rights

movement throughwhich the authors

continuouslydemonstrate advocacy

for sex workers’ humanrights, dignity,

health, well-beingand occupational

safety. The book mainlydiscusses

three areas: first,the lived experiences

of this marginalisedgroup who suffer

from health inequityand social

injustice; second,the structural

attributes to theirsuffering; and lastly,

recommendationson evidence-

based, multi-dimensional,multi-level,

interdisciplinaryand integrated

interventions,along with best

practices for figuringout their

predicaments.

Covering this issueacross Africa,

Asia, Europe, Latinand North

America, Oceania,and the Middle

East through epidemiologicalstudies,

case studies and systematicreviews,

the book analyses the problemsof sex

workers both in physicalvenues

(indoors and street-based)and online

environmentsassociated with service

providers who have heterosexual,

homosexual,bisexual, cisgendered

and transgenderedpreferences. Sex

workers are threatenedby various

causes, includinghealth (physical,

reproductiveand mental health,

sexually transmittedinfections/

diseases), psycho-socialfactors

(prejudice,bias, stigmatisation,

discrimination,bullying, homophobia,

transphobia,social and human rights

inequalities),behavioural pitfalls

(alcoholism,substance abuse),

educational inferiority(poor education

level, insufficientsex education),

economic burdens(poverty), crimes

(violence, coercion,gang rape, police

harassment),institutional

disturbances(detention, forced

confinement,mandatory

rehabilitation)and death (homicide,

suicidal ideation).In addition, this

compilationstrongly calls for

discarding institutionalviolence and

punitive laws; thatis, criminalisation,

which exerts a disproportionate

burden of social, physicaland

psychologicalharms.

Since sex work is not only a

biomedical-behaviouralconcern, but

is also connectedwith legislation,

policy-making,discrimination, labour

and structural determinantsin global,

diverse contexts,the book promotes

individual andcommunity

empowermentrelated to the

decriminalisationof sex work,

improved workingconditions and

protection from violenceand

prejudice. Hence,it proposes a series

of initiatives to servethis

disadvantagedgroup, pertaining to

legal status, accessibilityof healthcare

services, availableresources,

empowermentand rapport with

organisationswhich fight for social

justice for unprivilegedpeople,

resulting in formingbetter social

cohesion and inclusiveness.

Although this collectiondisplays an

empathetic analysisof the troubles

Source of funding support: Preparation of this article did

not receive any funding.

Declaration of interest: There is no conflict of interests.

Original work: This study is the author’s original work. Its

findings have not been published previously, and this

manuscript is not being concurrently submitted

elsewhere.

Author’s information: Fung Kei Cheng, PhD, focuses on

applying Buddhist and Chinese cultural theories to a

variety of disciplines, including counselling and

psychotherapy, mental health, public health,

complementary and alternative medicine, conflict

resolution, management, gender studies, cultural studies,

and sustainable development. Her research outcomes

have been published in international peer-reviewed

journals in English and Chinese. She can be reached at

oasischeng@yahoo.com.

DOI 10.1108/IJHRH-12-2022-214 VOL. 15 NO. 5 2022, pp. 499-500, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2056-4902 jINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN HEALTHCARE jPAGE 499