Struggling, Forgotten, and Under Pressure
A Scoping Review of Experiences of Sex Workers During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21292373 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Samantha K Brooks (0000-0003-3884-3583, King's College London, corresponding author), Sonny S Patel (0000-0002-9810-0055, Georgia State University), Neil Greenberg (0000-0003-4550-2971, King's College London) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 52 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 1969-2010 |
| Publication date | 2023-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Archives of Sexual Behavior (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0004-0002 • E-ISSN: 1573-2800 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s10508-023-02633-3 |
| PMID | 37311934 |
| OpenAlex | W4380537514 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 25 |
| References cited | 101 |
The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly affected physical, mental, and economic well-being across the globe and has disproportionately affected certain vulnerable groups. This paper provides a scoping review of literature on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sex workers, published between December 2019 and December 2022. Six databases were systematically searched, identifying 1009 citations; 63 studies were included in the review. Thematic analysis revealed eight main themes: financial issues; exposure to harm; alternate ways of working; COVID-19 knowledge, protective behaviors, fear, and risk; well-being, mental health, and coping; access to support; access to health care; and the impact of COVID-19 on research with sex workers. COVID-associated restrictions led to reduced work and income, leaving many sex workers struggling to cover basic needs; additionally, government protections excluded those working in the informal economy. Fearing the loss of their already reduced number of clients, many felt compelled to compromise both prices and protective measures. Although some engaged in online sex work, this raised concerns about visibility and was impossible for those without technological access or skills. Many feared COVID-19, but felt pressure to continue working, often with clients who refused to wear masks or share exposure history. Other negative impacts on well-being related to the pandemic included reduced access to financial support or health care. Marginalized populations (and especially those in professions which require close contact like sex workers) need further support and capacity-building within the community to recover from the impact of COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) · Disease · Economic growth · Economics · Family medicine · Government (linguistics) · Harm · Health care · Infectious disease (medical specialty) · Mental health · Pandemic · Political science · Psychiatry · Public health · Public relations · Qualitative research · Sex work · Sociology · Thematic analysis · Unemployment · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Medicine · Nursing · Psychology · Sex work and related issues · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology · Social Psychology
Deaths of female sex workers and sexually exploited adolescent girls during the Covid-19 pandemic in Kenya, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Vulnerability Revisited
Impact of Covid-19 on key populations and people living with HIV
Knowledge and Preventive Practices Toward Covid-19 Among Sex Workers in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Who seeks help in a crisis? Temporal analysis of anti-trafficking helpline contacts over the pandemic
Pandemic-related challenges accessing food and primary healthcare among sex workers during the Covid-19 pandemic
Health and wellbeing experiences of women informal workers during the Covid-19 pandemic
Health vulnerabilities of the female sex workers
Experiences and self-care efforts among female sex workers in Nairobi, Kenya, during Covid-19
Transgender and Non-Binary Sex Workers
Crafting vulneramentality
Lessons Learned
An intersectional analysis of social constraints and agency among sex workers in Tunisia during the Covid-19 pandemic; the community-based qualitative study Epic-Mena
Emotional burden and self-care strategies among individuals in the sex trade during Covid-19 in Israel
Assessment of Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms Among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men in Nepal
Longitudinal analysis of the role of mindfulness on HIV stigma, depression, substance use and HIV outcomes among female sex workers living with HIV in the Dominican Republic
‘Amidst the Hardships of Life, Covid Did Not Affect Us, nor Were We Scared of It’
It’s a Complicated Issue
Associations of Sex Work Modality Classifications with Condom and Substance Use Behaviors Among Women Who Exchange Sex for Drugs or Money – Four Metropolitan U.S. Cities, 2016
Vulnerability, resilience and political awareness
From the bar to the cowshed
Digitally Facilitated Sex Work
The Legality of Labor and Perceptions of Deservingness of Rights and Services for Sex Workers
Impact of Covid-19 on Profession and Health of Female Sex Workers
Corona’ was bigger than Aids
Sex workers must not be forgotten in the Covid-19 response
The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it
Challenges and opportunities experienced by performing artists during Covid-19 lockdown
Impact of the Covid-19 Health Crisis on Trans Women and Cis Men Sex Workers in Spain
Covid-19, Stigma, and the Ongoing Marginalization of Sex Workers and their Support Organizations
“What will we do if we get infected?”
“If Things Really Go On as They Are at the Moment, Then I Will Work Illegally. End of Story.” Pandemic Realities in Marginalized Entrepreneurships
Sex Work, Health, and Human Rights
Australian public health Covid-19 messaging is missing its mark in some vulnerable communities and people who reject Covid-19 safety advice
‘Business can't stop.’ Women engaged in prostitution during the Covid-19 pandemic in southern Spain
Mental health of female sex workers in the Covid-19 pandemic
Saúde mental de trabalhadoras sexuais na pandemia da Covid-19
Mulheres em situação de prostituição e covid-19
Sex workers on the frontline
Exposed and unprotected
Access to Healthcare in a time of Covid-19
Persistent disparities in Covid-19-associated impacts on HIV prevention and care among a global sample of sexual and gender minority individuals
Behavioral Changes, Adaptation, and Supports among Indonesian Female Sex Workers Facing Dual Risk of Covid-19 and HIV in a Pandemic
Utilisation of HIV services by female sex workers in Zimbabwe during the Covid-19 pandemic
Factors associated with poor access to HIV and sexual and reproductive health services in Nigeria for women and girls living with HIV during the Covid-19 pandemic
The effects of Covid-19 on food insecurity, financial vulnerability and housing insecurity among women and girls living with or at risk of HIV in Nigeria
There is hunger in my community”
Impacts of the Covid-19 Pandemic on People Living with HIV Who Are Members of Vulnerable Groups in Vietnam
Life in the Balance
Economic, Mental Health, HIV Prevention and HIV Treatment Impacts of Covid-19 and the Covid-19 Response on a Global Sample of Cisgender Gay Men and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men
Experiences of commercial sex workers during Covid-19 restrictions in selected metropolises in Ghana
Covid-19 and the shifting organisation of sex work markets in Singapore
The Covid-19 pandemic and male sex workers who have sex with men
A Systematic Review of the Correlates of Violence Against Sex Workers
They Kill Us Trans Women’
Male Sex Workers Selling Physical Sex during the Covid-19 Pandemic in Portugal
Paying for Sex During Covid-19 Pandemic
Sex Workers’ Everyday Security in the Netherlands and the Impact of Covid-19
How Covid-19 affects prostitution markets in the Netherlands and Belgium
The Effect of Systemic Racism and Homophobia on Police Enforcement and Sexual and Emotional Violence among Sex Workers in East London
Social and Structural Factors Shaping High Rates of Incarceration among Sex Workers in a Canadian Setting
Very little but a lot.” Solidarity within the sex workers' community in Poland during the Covid‐19 pandemic
Intimate Partner Violence Victimization During the Covid-19 Pandemic Among a Global Online Sample of Sexual Minority Men
The debt trap, a shadow pandemic for commercial sex workers
Sex workers’ peer support during the Covid-19 pandemic
Culturally Safe Nursing Care for Black Sex Workers in the Greater Chicago Area, 2020‒2021
Informal settlements, Covid-19 and sex workers in Kenya
Pandemic sex workers’ resilience
Helping individuals in the sex trade during Covid-19
Covid-19 Prevention and Protecting Sex Workers
The Impact of the Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19) on the Health and Social Needs of Sex Workers in Singapore
Sex Workers and Syndemics
Using thematic analysis in psychology
We Have Advised Sex Workers to Simply Choose Other Options”—The Response of Adult Service Websites to Covid-19
We are human beings
Barriers to Governmental Income Supports for Sex Workers during Covid-19
Prostitution and Deservingness in Times of Pandemic
Earning Housing
Scoping studies
Risking safety and rights
Framing Sex Worker Rights
The Resilience of Female Sex Workers in the Wake of Covid-19 in Zimbabwe
Stigma, sex work, and substance use
| Unique citing works | 25 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 12,5 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 24 |