Publications & Tools

The data presented in this fact sheet is for the period December 2020 – November 2021 and has been captured among sex workers in Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe as part of the Hands Off programme. Peer educators, rights defenders, outreach workers, paralegals and sex worker focal points are often one of the first contacted by sex workers after they have experienced violence. These first responders document the cases of human rights violations using confidential and secured tools.

This case study focuses on sex workers’ meaningful involvement in the development of rights-based sex worker program in national Funding Requests to the Global Fund in Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Aidsfonds commissioned a sex worker-led study Funding for key populations affected by HIV and AIDS – way off track? through the Briding the Gaps and PITCH partnerships. The study found that sex workers are severely under funded with only 2% of money for HIV programmes targeting them. This is especially alarming as key populations and their partners account for more than half of all the new HIV infections globally. Download the key findings Factsheet or read the full report.

HRFN’s report”examines the state of global human rights funding across issues and populations to explore where support for intersectionality may truly exist. The report is the first comprehensive and global analysis of when and if grants to support human rights reach beyond a single issue or community. The findings show that a resoundingly small fraction of human rights funding supports activism that cuts across multiple communities or issues. Just 18% of human rights grants name two populations, and less than 5% support three or more.”

Of all the populations explored, grants for sex workers were the most likely (71% compared to 33-65%) to be intersectional with at least 2 other populations.

Videos in a series from NSWP called Global Fund Basics.
Included are videos on:
The Board, Constituencies/Delegations, and Committees- you’ll hear about the history of the Global Fund, how it’s structured, how it works, the three civil society delegations and the three standing committees.
Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCM) – The CCM is responsible for identifying the work that needs to be done in HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and submitting technical proposals to the Global Fund, identifying the Principle Recipient and overseeing the implementation of grants.
Catalytic Investments – Catalytic Investments are a portion of funding for the Global Fund supported programmes, activities and strategic investments that are not fully covered through country allocations.

The videos are in English and is also available with Spanish, French, and Russian subtitles.

The Global State of Harm Reduction is the only report that provides an independent analysis of harm reduction in the world. Now in its the seventh edition, the Global State of Harm Reduction 2020 is the most comprehensive global mapping of harm reduction responses to drug use, HIV and viral hepatitis.

Their data spotlight – HIV Philanthropy for Sex Workers – was featured in the 2019 Spring Funder Forum in which FOSTA-SESTA’s impact on sex workers’ ability to self-organise and self-fund was discussed by sex worker leadership at HIPS and Colective Intercultural TRANSgradiendo.

“We reviewed evidence from more than 800 studies and reports on the burden and HIV implications of human rights violations against sex workers. Published research documents widespread abuses of human rights perpetrated by both state and non-state actors. Such violations directly and indirectly increase HIV susceptibility, and undermine effective HIV-prevention and intervention efforts. Violations include homicide; physical and sexual violence, from law enforcement, clients, and intimate partners; unlawful arrest and detention; discrimination in accessing health services; and forced HIV testing. Abuses occur across all policy regimes, although most profoundly where sex work is criminalised through punitive law. Protection of sex workers is essential to respect, protect, and meet their human rights, and to improve their health and wellbeing. Research findings affirm the value of rights-based HIV responses for sex workers, and underscore the obligation of states to uphold the rights of this marginalised population.”

In 2013, The WHO together with UNFPA, UNAIDS, UNDP the Global Network of Sex Work Projects (NSWP) and the World Bank published ‘Implementing Comprehensive HIV/STI Programmes with Sex Workers: Practical Approaches from Collaborative Interventions’ (or the SWIT as the document has become known). The SWIT reaffirms that the health of sex workers doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and that countries should work towards the decriminalisation of sex work, and the empowerment and self-determination of sex working communities, as a fundamental part of the fight against HIV.

“One of the main findings, as detailed in the recent FCAA and Elton John AIDS Foundation “Converging Epidemics: COVID-19, HIV & Inequality” report, was that HIV-related intermediary funders are best positioned to provide flexible, strategic support for the most critical needs of community members and community-led groups working at the intersection of HIV, human rights and racial justice.
The purpose of this follow-up briefing paper is to help make the case for greater investment in HIV-related intermediaries, particularly those that are community-rooted and community-led.
It explores their role, added value and impact, and key challenges and needs. It also looks at the strategic and practical considerations that donors who currently support intermediaries take into account when developing relationships with their intermediary partners.
Finally, this briefing paper also offers new benchmark data to contextualize the level of HIV-related philanthropy moving to intermediary and community-rooted funding organizations.
We hope that the case studies and insights from interviews conducted and data analyzed for this paper will encourage donors — whether public or private, large or small — to invest in community-rooted funders and/or adopt some of the community-rooted practices described within.
A series of recommendations for putting this into practice is included at the conclusion of this briefing paper.”

Read the full report.
Read the individual report case studies
Initiative Sankofa d’Afrique de l’Ouest
Southern AIDS Coalition and the Contigo Fund
Global Network of Young People Living with HIV and Advocates for Youth
Red Umbrella Fund
Read the accompanying report: Converging Epidemics: COVID-19, HIV and Inequality

The paper covers various areas of law and law enforcement practices that disproportionately impact sex workers, including immigration laws, policing of public spaces, anti-LGBTQ laws, HIV criminalisation and religious codes. A Community Guide is also available.

Published in 2019 on World AIDS Day (1 December) – author LaLa B Holston-Zannell (Trans Justice Campaign Manager) addresses the intersection between transgender rights, neding HIV transmission, and decriminalizing sex work.

The report and toolkit where developed by AIDSfonds as part of the Hands Off! and Briding the Gaps programs. The Hands Off! programme (2015-2019) aimed to contribute to the reduction of violence against sex workers and HIV infection in five countries. Bridging the Gaps (2015-2020) aimed to prevent new HIV infections among sex workers in 11 countries. Sex workers know best! is an operational study on the effects of hosting constructions on sex worker-led programmes. This study was conducted by Aidsfonds in 2018 and includes an executive summary.

The key question of this study is the degree of effectiveness of hosting relationships for sex worker-led organisations to become strong and independent entities that are able to claim their rights to end violence and HIV among sex workers. The study was conducted in Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Myanmar, South Africa, Uganda, Ukraine, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe.

Recent data indicates that, while there has been some progress in reducing new infections among some populations, 62% of new HIV transmissions in 2019 occurred among key populations and their sexual partners. Clearly, key populations continue to be disproportionately impacted by HIV.