Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Health and Well-being of Sex Workers in Decriminalised Contexts: A Scoping Review

  • Published:
Sexuality Research and Social Policy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Introduction

Sex work decriminalisation is widely supported by public health research and sex worker advocates as the best model to protect the health and rights of sex workers. In order to understand the actual implications of sex work decriminalisation on sex workers’ health, this article reviews and summarises existing research from two sites where sex work has been decriminalised for several years: the Australian state of New South Wales and New Zealand.

Methods

In July 2021, the authors conducted database and directed searches for academic and grey literature reporting on research with diverse sex workers in NSW and New Zealand since, respectively, 1995 and 2003. The searches were updated in July 2022. Fifty-two different papers, including 33 peer-reviewed articles, were identified and reviewed using a scoping methodology.

Results

The review describes improvements in the health and well-being, as well as in access to and engagement with health services among diverse sex workers in terms of gender, migration history, cultural backgrounds and type of sex work, in the two jurisdictions. These improvements are linked to the development of peer-based outreach and service provision by and to diverse sex workers in both sites. The review also highlights a number of existing regulatory concerns, including the persisting illegalisation of locational aspects of street-based sex work (NSW) and of non-resident, migrant sex work (New Zealand).

Conclusions

The authors conclude that evidence from the two countries supports full sex work decriminalisation as a necessary first step in order to start addressing health and social inequalities among this highly diverse and stigmatised population.

Policy Implications

The evidence reviewed presents overwhelming support for the full decriminalisation of all forms of sex work, including street-based and migrant sex work. Peer-based service provision by and to diverse sex workers should be promoted and funded.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

Availability of Data and Material

Not applicable.

Code Availability

Not applicable.

Notes

  1. The authors do not report whether the participants spoke of being involved in sex work. The article is therefore referred to only for context.

  2. Four participants had worked in both states.

  3. In NSW, it remains a criminal offence for a sex worker to offer or provide sexual services in massage venues. To the best of our knowledge, such law has never been used since 1995.

  4. There is no special work visa for sex work in Australia. Migrant sex workers can legally work in the NSW’s sex industry if holding a visa that provides them work rights. Migrant workers on student visas are allowed to work a maximum of 20 h per week, regardless of which type of legal work they engage in (thus including sex work in NSW).

References

  • Abel, G. (2014). Sex workers’ utilisation of health services in a decriminalised environment. The New Zealand Medical Journal, 127(1390), 30–37.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Abel, G. (2018). A public health perspective on sex work. In S. A. Fitzgerald & C. McGarry (Eds.), Realising justice for sex workers: An agenda for change (pp. 123–140). Rowman & Littlefield.

    Google Scholar 

  • Abel, G. (2020). Contested space: Street-based sex workers and community engagement. Sex Work and the New Zealand Model: Decriminalisation and Social Change, 199.

  • Abel, G., & Fitzgerald, L. (2010a). Risk and risk management in sex work post-Prostitution Reform Act: A public health perspective. In G. Abel & L. Fitzgerald (Eds.), Taking the crime out of sex work: New Zealand sex workers’ fight for decriminalisation (pp. 217–237). Policy Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Abel, G., & Fitzgerald, L. (2010b). Decriminalisation and stigma. In G. Abel & L. Fitzgerald (Eds.), Taking the crime out of sex work: New Zealand sex workers’ fight for decriminalisation (pp. 239–258). Policy Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Abel, G., Fitzgerald, L., & Brunton, C. (2007). The impact of the Prostitution Reform Act on the health and safety practices of sex workers. Report to the Prostitution Law Review Committee, University of Otago, Christchurch.

  • Abel, G., & Healy, C. (2021). Sex worker-led provision of services in New Zealand: Optimising health and safety in a decriminalised context. Sex Work, Health, and Human Rights, 175.

  • Abel, G., & Roguski, M. (2018). Migrant sex workers in New Zealand: Report for MBIE. Wellington,(NZ): Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).

  • Abel, G. M. (2011). Different stage, different performance: The protective strategy of role play on emotional health in sex work. Social Science & Medicine, 72(7), 1177–1184.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Abel, G. M., & Fitzgerald, L. J. (2012). ‘The street's got its advantages’: Movement between sectors of the sex industry in a decriminalised environment. Health, Risk & Society, 14(1), 7–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/13698575.2011.640664

  • Abel, G. M., Fitzgerald, L. J., & Brunton, C. (2009). The impact of decriminalisation on the number of sex workers in New Zealand. Journal of Social Policy, 38(3), 515–531.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Argento, E., Goldenberg, S., Braschel, M., Machat, S., Strathdee, S. A., & Shannon, K. (2020). The impact of end-demand legislation on sex workers’ access to health and sex worker-led services: A community-based prospective cohort study in Canada. PLoS ONE, 15(4), e0225783.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Arksey, H., & O’Malley, L. (2005). Scoping studies: Towards a methodological framework. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 8(1), 19–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Armstrong, L. (2014). Screening clients in a decriminalised street-based sex industry: Insights into the experiences of New Zealand sex workers. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 47(2), 207–222. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004865813510921

  • Armstrong, L. (2016a). From law enforcement to protection? Interactions between sex workers and police in a decriminalized street-based sex industry. The British Journal of Criminology, 57(3), 570–588. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azw019

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Armstrong, L. (2016b). Out of the shadows (and into a bit of light): Decriminalization, human rights and street-based sex work in New Zealand. In New sociologies of sex work (pp. 51–68). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315598116-8

  • Armstrong, L. (2016c). “Who’s the slut, who’s the whore?” Street harassment in the workplace among female sex workers in New Zealand. Feminist Criminology, 11(3), 285–303.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Armstrong, L. (2018). New Zealand. In G. A. A. T. i. Women (Ed.), Sex workers organising for change: Self-representation, community mobilisation, and working conditions (pp. 73–106). Retrieved December 13, 2022, from https://www.gaatw.org/publications/SWorganising/SWorganising-complete-web.pdf

  • Armstrong, L. (2019). Stigma, decriminalisation, and violence against street-based sex workers: Changing the narrative. Sexualities, 22(7–8), 1288–1308.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Armstrong, L. (2021). ‘I can lead the life that i want to lead’: Social harm, human needs and the decriminalisation of sex work in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 18(4), 941–951.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Armstrong, L., & Fraser, C. (2020). The disclosure dilemma: Stigma and talking about sex work in the decriminalised context. In Sex Work and the New Zealand Model (pp. 177–198). Bristol University Press.

  • Aroney, E. (2021). Changing minds and changing laws: How New Zealand sex workers and their allies shaped decriminalisation in New Zealand. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 1–16.

  • Bates, J., & Berg, R. (2014). Sex workers as safe sex advocates: Sex workers protect both themselves and the wider community from HIV. AIDS Education and Prevention, 26(3), 191–201.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bennachie, C., Pickering, A., Lee, J., Macioti, P. G., Mai, N., Fehrenbacher, A. E., Giametta, C., Hoefinger, H., & Musto, J. (2021). Unfinished decriminalization: The impact of Section 19 of the Prostitution Reform Act 2003 on migrant sex workers’ rights and Lives in Aotearoa New Zealand. Social Sciences, 10(5), 179. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10050179

  • Berg, R., Bates, J., & Harcourt, C. (2011). South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Health Region GAP Analysis "at risk" Sex Workers Report. Retrieved July 21, 2022, from https://www.scribd.com/document/390894765/2011-Sex-Workers-Gap-Analysis-Report

  • Callander, D., Cox, C., Schmidt, H.-M., & Donovan, B. (2016). Sex worker health surveillance: A report to the New South Wales Ministry of Health. Sydney: The Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney. https://kirby.unsw.edu.au/report/sex-worker-health-surveillance-report-new-south-wales-ministry-health

  • Callander, D., DeVeau, R., Prestage, G., Richters, J., & Donovan, B. (2021). Male sex work in Australia: Impact of legalization, criminalization, and peer support in community and public health. In The Routledge Handbook of Male Sex Work, Culture, and Society (pp. 571–582). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003152835-45

  • Crofts, P., & Prior, J. (2012). Effects of sex premises on neighbourhoods: Residents, local planning and the geographies of a controversial land use. New Zealand Geographer, 68, 130–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davidson, J., Mak, S. P., Ellis, J., Naoum, R., Economos, M., Lo, H. L., Rombola, M., & Ireson, R. (2019). Working with migrant sex workers in Sydney’s lower-end brothels.Retrieved December 13, 2022, from https://hopestreet.org.au/migrantsexworkers/

  • Donovan, B., Harcourt, C., et al. (2012). The sex industry in New South Wales: A report to the NSW Ministry of Health. Retrieved December 13, 2022, from https://kirby.unsw.edu.au/sites/default/files/kirby/report/SHP_NSW-Sex-Industry-Report-2012.pdf

  • Donovan, B., Harcourt, C., Egger, S., & Fairley, C. K. (2010). Improving the health of sex workers in NSW: Maintaining success. New South Wales public health bulletin, 21(4), 74–77. https://doi.org/10.1071/nb10013

  • Easterbrook-Smith, G. L. (2020). “Not on the street where we live”: Walking while trans under a model of sex work decriminalisation. Feminist Media Studies, 20(7), 1013–1028.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Escaravage, E. (2016). Voices of Māori sex workers [UiT Norges arktiske universitet].

  • Estcourt, C. S., Marks, C., Rohrsheim, R., Johnson, A. M., Donovan, B., & Mindel, A. (2000). HIV, sexually transmitted infections, and risk behaviours in male commercial sex workers in Sydney. Sexually Transmitted Infections, 76(4), 294–298.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • ESWA. (2021). Briefing paper. Sex work and mental health. Overview of factors impacting sex workers' mental health and access to services in Europe and Central Asia. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/eswa/pages/168/attachments/original/1633509786/EN_-_Briefing_paper.pdf?1633509786

  • Foster, R., McCormack, L., Thng, C., Wand, H., & McNulty, A. (2018). Cross-sectional survey of Chinese-speaking and Thai-speaking female sex workers in Sydney, Australia: Factors associated with consistent condom use. Sexual Health, 15(5), 389–395.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fox, J., Tideman, R., Gilmour, S., Marks, C., Van Beek, I., & Mindel, A. (2006). Sex work practices and condom use in female sex workers in Sydney. International Journal of STD & AIDS, 17(5), 319–323.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gil, C. N., Ramaiah, M., Mantsios, A., Barrington, C., & Kerrigan, D. (2021). Best practices and challenges to sex worker community empowerment and mobilisation strategies to promote health and human rights. Sex Work, Health, and Human Rights, 189.

  • Gilmour, F. (2020). The impacts of decriminalisation for trans sex workers. Sex Work and the New Zealand Model: Decriminalisation and Social Change, 89.

  • Goldenberg, S. M., Morgan Thomas, R., Forbes, A., & Baral, S. (2021). Sex work, health, and human rights: Global inequities, challenges, and opportunities for action. Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64171-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harcourt, C., McNulty, A., Holden, J., Moylan, M., & Donovan, B. (2006). Sustained health promotion success for migrant sex workers in Sydney. International journal of STD & AIDS, 17(12), 857–858. https://doi.org/10.1258/095646206779307522

  • Harcourt, C., O'Connor, J., Egger, S., Fairley, C. K., Wand, H., Chen, M. Y., Marshall, L., Kaldor, J. M., & Donovan, B. (2010). The decriminalisation of prostitution is associated with better coverage of health promotion programs for sex workers. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 34(5), 482–486. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-6405.2010.00594.x

  • Harcourt, C., van Beek, I., Heslop, J., McMahon, M., & Donovan, B. (2001). The health and welfare needs of female and transgender street sex workers in New South Wales. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 25(1), 84–89.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Harris, M., Nilan, P., & Kirby, E. (2011). Risk and risk management for Australian sex workers. Qualitative Health Research, 21(3), 386–398.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, J. (2015). Decriminalisation of sex work: The evidence is in. HIV Australia, 13(1), 39–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Le Bail, H., Giametta, C., & Rassouw, N. (2019). What do sex workers think about the French Prostitution Act? [Médecins du Monde].

  • Leary, D., & Minichiello, V. (2007). Exploring the interpersonal relationships in street-based male sex work: Results from an Australian qualitative study. Journal of Homosexuality, 53(1–2), 75–110.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, C., McManus, H., Foster, R., & Davies, S. C. (2021). A survey of condom use among female sex workers in Northern Sydney; declining condom use for fellatio. International Journal of STD & AIDS, 32(14), 1326–1337.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Macioti, P. G., Aroney, E., Bennachie, C., Fehrenbacher, A. E., Giametta, C., Hoefinger, H., Mai, N., & Musto, J. (2020). Framing the Mother Tac: The racialised, sexualised and gendered politics of modern slavery in Australia. Social Sciences, 9(11), 192. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci9110192

  • Macioti, P. G., DeVeau, R., Millen, M., McGlasson, C., Siangyai, B., Sinclair, G., Power, J., & Bourne, A. (2022). Understanding the health and social wellbeing needs of sex workers in Victoria. Retrieved December 13, 2022, from https://www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs/publications/social-responses-to-hiv-and-viral-hepatitis/wellbeing-of-sex-workers-in-victoria?SQ_VARIATION_1344180=0

  • Macioti, P. G., Garofalo Geymonat, G., & Mai, N. (2021). Sex work and mental health. Policy Relevant Report. Retrieved December 13, 2022, from https://opal.latrobe.edu.au/articles/report/Sex_Work_and_Mental_Health_Access_to_mental_health_services_for_people_who_sell_sex_in_Germany_Italy_Sweden_and_UK/14888757

  • Mai, N., Macioti, P. G., Bennachie, C., Fehrenbacher, A. E., Giametta, C., Hoefinger, H., & Musto, J. (2021a). Sexual humanitarianism. Understanding agency and exploitation in the global sex industry. Policy Report. Retrieved December 13, 2022, from https://sexhum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021a/02/SEXHUM-Policymaking-Report-Final-2.pdf

  • Mai, N., Macioti, P. G., Bennachie, C., Fehrenbacher, A. E., Giametta, C., Hoefinger, H., & Musto, J. (2021b). Migration, sex work and trafficking: The racialized bordering politics of sexual humanitarianism. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 44(9), 1607–1628. https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2021b.1892790

  • Markelj, L., Selan, A., Dolinar, T., & Sande, M. (2021). Sex work in Slovenia: Assessing the needs of sex workers. Sociological Research Online, 13607804211018480.

  • Minichiello, V., Marino, R., Browne, J., Jamieson, M., Peterson, K., Reuter, B., & Robinson, K. (2002). Male sex workers in three Australian cities: Socio-demographic and sex work characteristics. Journal of Homosexuality, 42(1), 29–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moran, L. J., & Sharpe, A. N. (2002). Policing the transgender/violence relation. Current Issues in Criminal Justice, 13(3), 269–285.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Northern Territory of Australia. (2019). Sex Industry Act 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2022, from https://legislation.nt.gov.au/en/Legislation/SEX-INDUSTRY-ACT-2019

  • NSW Legislative Council. (2021). Notice of Motion. I:\LC\House Papers\Loqs and Notices 2021\General notices\Boyd 210216 Sex work local government conference motion.doc

  • Orchiston, A. (2016). Precarious or protected? Evaluating work quality in the legal sex industry. Sociological Research Online, 21(4), 173–187.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pajnik, M., & Radačić, I. (2020). Organisational patterns of sex work and the effects of the policy framework. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 1–13.

  • Pell, C., Dabbhadatta, J., Harcourt, C., Tribe, K., & O’Connor, C. (2006). Demographic, migration status, and work-related changes in Asian female sex workers surveyed in Sydney, 1993 and 2003. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 30(2), 157–162.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, J., Pearce, P. F., Ferguson, L. A., & Langford, C. A. (2017). Understanding scoping reviews: Definition, purpose, and process. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 29(1), 12–16. https://doi.org/10.1002/2327-6924.12380

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Platt, L., Grenfell, P., Meiksin, R., Elmes, J., Sherman, S. G., Sanders, T., Mwangi, P., & Crago, A.-L. (2018). Associations between sex work laws and sex workers’ health: A systematic review and meta-analysis of quantitative and qualitative studies. PLoS medicine, 15(12), e1002680. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002680

  • Prostitution Law Review Committee. (2008). Report of the prostitution law review committee on the operation of the prostitution reform act 2003. Ministry of Justice.

  • Rekart, M. L. (2005). Sex-work harm reduction. The Lancet, 366(9503), 2123–2134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Renshaw, L., Kim, J., Fawkes, J., & Jeffreys, E. (2015). Migrant sex workers in Australia (AIC reports. Research and Public Policy series 31, Issue. Retrieved December 13, 2022, from https://www.aic.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-05/rpp131.pdf

  • Rissel, C., Donovan, B., Yeung, A., de Visser, R., Grulich, A., Simpson, J., & Richters, J. (2017). Decriminalization of sex work is not associated with more men paying for sex: Results from the second Australian study of health and relationships. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 14(1), 81–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Select Committee on the Regulation of Brothels (ROB Select Committee). (2015). Inquiry into the regulation of brothels. Report 1/56 - November 2015. Retrieved December 13, 2022, from https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/ladocs/inquiries/1703/Final%20Report%20-%20Inquiry%20into%20the%20Regulation%20of%20Brot.pdf

  • Roguski, M. (2013). Work health and safety of migrant sex workers in New Zealand. Prepared for the New Zealand Prostitutes Collective.

  • Rottier, J. (2018). Decriminalization of sex work: The New Zealand model: An analysis of the integrative sex industry policy in New Zealand (Aotearoa) [Eleven international publishing].

  • Roxburgh, A., Degenhardt, L., & Breen, C. (2005). Drug use and risk behaviours among injecting drug users: A comparison between sex workers and non-sex workers in Sydney Australia. Harm Reduction Journal, 2(1), 1–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roxburgh, A., Degenhardt, L., & Copeland, J. (2006). Posttraumatic stress disorder among female street-based sex workers in the greater Sydney area Australia. BMC Psychiatry, 6(1), 1–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, A. E. (2019). The sanctions of justice: A comparative study of the lived experiences of female sex workers in Scotland and New Zealand. PhD Thesis. University of Glasgow.

  • Sex Services Premises Planning Advisory Panel (SSPPAP). (2004). Sex Services Planning Guidelines. Retrieved December 13, 2022, from https://scarletalliance.org.au/library/ssppg_04

  • Safework NSW. (2017). Health and safety guidelines for sex services premises in NSW. Retrieved December 13, 2022, from https://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/print-guide?source=566034

  • Scarlet Alliance. (2014). The principles for model sex work legislation. Retrieved December 13, 2022, from https://www.scarletalliance.org.au/pub/model_principles00/document_view

  • Shannon, K., Crago, A.-L., Baral, S. D., Bekker, L.-G., Kerrigan, D., Decker, M. R., Poteat, T., Wirtz, A. L., Weir, B., & Boily, M.-C. (2018). The global response and unmet actions for HIV and sex workers. The Lancet, 392(10148), 698–710.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shannon, K., Strathdee, S. A., Goldenberg, S. M., Duff, P., Mwangi, P., Rusakova, M., Reza-Paul, S., Lau, J., Deering, K., & Pickles, M. R. (2015). Global epidemiology of HIV among female sex workers: Influence of structural determinants. The Lancet, 385(9962), 55–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60931-4

  • Soldatic, K., Sullivan, C., Briskman, L., Leha, J., Trewlynn, W., & Spurway, K. (2021). Social inclusion and exclusion for First Nations LGBTIQ+ people in Australia. Social Inclusion, 9(2), 1–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stardust, Z., Treloar, C., Cama, E., & Kim, J. (2021). ‘I wouldn’t call the cops if I was being bashed to death’: Sex work, whore stigma and the criminal legal system. International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.5204/ijcjsd.1894

  • Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa. (2020a). 3 out of 5 migrants arrive on temporary visas. Retrieved December 13, 2022, from https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/3-out-of-5-migrants-arrive-on-temporary-visas

  • Stats NZ - Tatauranga Aotearoa. (2020b). 2018 Census data allows users to dive deep into New Zealand's diversity. Retrieved December 13, 2022, from https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/2018-census-data-allows-users-to-dive-deep-into-new-zealands-diversity

  • Sullivan, C. T. (2020). Who holds the key? Negotiating gatekeepers, community politics, and the “right” to research in Indigenous spaces. Geographical Research, 58(4), 344–354. https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-5871.12415

  • Sullivan, C. T. (2022). ‘People pay me for sex’: Contemporary lived experiences of indigenous Australian sex workers. Journal of Intercultural Studies, 43(1), 23–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • The Lancet. (2014). Series on: HIV and sex workers. Retrieved December 13, 2022, from https://www.thelancet.com/series/HIV-and-sex-workers

  • Ting, D. (2018). Understanding the experiences of migrant Asian sex workers in New Zealand: An exploratory study [University of Auckland]. Retrieved December 13, 2022, from https://www.nzpc.org.nz//pdfs/Abel,-G-and-Roguski,-M,-(2018),-Migrant-sex-workers-in-NZ-report-for-MBIE.pdf

  • Treloar, C., Stardust, Z., Cama, E., & Kim, J. (2021). Rethinking the relationship between sex work, mental health and stigma: A qualitative study of sex workers in Australia. Social Science & Medicine, 268, 113468. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113468

  • UNAIDS. (2002). Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. Sex work and HIV/AIDS: UNAIDS Technical Update. Sex work and HIV/AIDS: UNAIDS Technical Update.

  • Vuolajärvi, N. (2019). Governing in the name of caring—The Nordic model of prostitution and its punitive consequences for migrants who sell sex. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 16(2), 151–165.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wahab, S., & Abel, G. (2016). The prostitution reform act (2003) and social work in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Affilia, 31(4), 418–433.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

This work was supported by a grant from the Department of Health Victoria.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    P. G. Macioti, Jennifer Power & Adam Bourne

Authors
  1. P. G. Macioti
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jennifer Power
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Adam Bourne
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Data searches and analysis were performed by P. G. Macioti. The first draft of the manuscript was written by P. G. Macioti and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to P. G. Macioti.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Macioti, P.G., Power, J. & Bourne, A. The Health and Well-being of Sex Workers in Decriminalised Contexts: A Scoping Review. Sex Res Soc Policy 20, 1013–1031 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-022-00779-8

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-022-00779-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation