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

Datos Bibliográficos

ID15540973
AutoresMarion Di Ciaccio (0000-0002-6971-0233, Aix-Marseille Université, autor de correspondencia), Elisa Adami (0000-0002-2006-5472), Nassima Boulahdour (Comité National de Lutte contre le SIDA), Othmane Bourhaba (0000-0003-2193-8615, Instituto Superior da Maia), Juliana Castro Ávila (0000-0002-5526-9467), Nicolas Lorente (0000-0002-5320-1493), Khawla Beldi Chouikha, Montassar Nabli, Sonia Torkhani, Mehdi Karkouri (0000-0002-6857-7442, Comité National de Lutte contre le SIDA), Daniela Rojas Castro (0000-0002-5379-1438)
Año2025
Volumen20
Número1
Páginas2486436-2486436
Fecha de publicación2025-04-03
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaGlobal Public Health (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1744-1692 • E-ISSN: 1744-1706
EditorialTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/17441692.2025.2486436
PMID40181568
OpenAlexW4409150485
IdiomaEN
Referencias citadas40

The economic, social and health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic varied across population groups. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive view of the effects of socioeconomic constraints on sex workers' agency during the COVID-19 pandemic in Tunisia, using the analytical framework of intersectionality. We performed a thematic content analysis of semi-structured interviews conducted with sex workers (n = 19). Results highlighted the heavy burden of socioeconomic constraints on their agency, and specifically on their decision to continue sex work or not during the pandemic. The fact that there were fewer clients during the pandemic led to greater economic precarity, especially among mothers. Furthermore, interviewees - mostly cisgender male sex workers with same-sex practices - reported increased violence and discrimination by clients and the police. Participants also experienced difficulties accessing health care for themselves and for their children, including access to COVID-19 vaccination. This was especially true for women with a low educational level. Finally, sex workers' mental health was also strongly affected by the pandemic. Findings highlights the role of various intersecting socioeconomic conditions and structural vulnerabilities on sex workers' experience of the COVID-19 pandemic in Tunisia, in terms of health and their capacity to negotiate agency

2019-20 coronavirus outbreak · Agency (philosophy · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Economic growth · Economics · EPIC · Intersectionality · Pandemic · Political science · Qualitative research · Social science · Sociology · Gender Studies · HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk · Medicine · Sex work and related issues · Virology