Intersections between police, sex work and harm reduction
Street-level police practices in relation to people engaging in sex work can have significant consequences for the health and safety of those workers. It is important for police to understand the implications of enforcing the law in relation to sex work and to recognise that police discretion (e.g. to avoid making an arrest and prosecuting someone for sex work) exists – especially in environments where sex work remains illegal. This post will highlight some examples of how police can create an enabling environment for harm reduction by protecting and supporting sex workers’ needs.
Sex work exists in a range of policy environments e.g. legalised, decriminalised and criminalised; regardless of the legal environment, police practice at the street level must work to support and protect the health and safety of sex workers – and therefore the whole community. One of the most important ways the police can do this is by not arresting or prosecuting sex workers for carrying condoms. Police use of condom possession as criminal evidence to prosecute a person for being a sex worker discourages sex workers to carry condoms for fear of arrest, resulting in unprotected sex, increasing the risk of blood-borne viruses, such as HIV, for both workers and clients. Police confiscation of condoms is often in conflict with the public health programs which deliver condoms freely to sex workers to reduce the frequency of unprotected sex.
Importantly, police are increasingly treating violence against sex workers – in a range of policy environments – as a crime. One example is referred to as the ‘Merseyside Model’ in the United Kingdom where the Merseyside district declared violence against sex workers as a hate crime. Not only did this approach elevate the seriousness of crimes against sex workers, it resulted in achieving higher conviction rates for crimes against sex workers – important because it gives victims greater confidence to report crimes to police and engenders trust that the criminal justice system will protect them.
Learn more about the ‘Merseyside Model’ using the links below:
Hate Crime, Harm Reduction & Social Inclusion: Addressing Violence Against Sex Workers in Merseyside
Merseyside Police commended on sex trade initiative
An essential component of the ‘Merseyside Model’ is the role of a Police Liaison Officer. This officer is specially trained to provide advice and support addressing the specific needs of sex workers. Importantly, Police Liaison Officer’s also have a role in educating his or her colleagues about relevant harm reduction approaches. Some sex worker support organisations provide outreach services such as distributing condoms and lubricant, and providing information or access to legal and health services. A police liaison officer’s role is to ensure that outreach workers can carry out their work uninterrupted. An example of an organisation that works closely with the police is the Sex Worker Outreach Project (SWOP) in New South Wales, Australia. SWOP facilitates interaction between sex workers and police and even trains police officers in how to best respond to the issues faced by sex workers. Read about their services regarding policing here.
An innovative approach to police-sex worker relations is the Police Cadet Community Involvement Programme hosted by the Service Workers in Group (SWING) Foundation in Thailand.
The programme is “an annual three-week internship programme that provides third-year police cadets with an opportunity to work directly with community-based organisations. The key objective of the programme is to increase the cadets’ understanding of relevant social issues, as well as their awareness of the grassroots efforts that address such issues. During the three-week placement at SWING, the programme expands the police cadets’ understanding and awareness of the lives of sex workers, with an expectation that the cadets will not only share their experiences with their peers, but will also actively challenge discriminatory attitudes they encounter.
Since its launch in 2005, the internship programme has successfully challenged many of the attitudes of police cadets, and has resulted in an increased recognition and understanding of the issues that affect sex workers. Additionally, participation in the Police Cadet Community Involvement Programme has allowed SWING to create and sustain relationships with a number of local area police command centres that are located in sex work hotspots.
Due to the success of the Police Cadet Community Involvement Programme, SWING was invited to provide training for all police cadets on HIV prevention and this initiative is ongoing. Furthermore, anecdotal evidence suggests that the programme has led to a decrease in the number of sex worker arrests and has significantly improved relations between sex workers and police.”
Read the full report and listen to a podcast about SWING here.
Read more:
Ghana Police address violence against female sex workers
Legs image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net Adamr
