Media and Literature Analysis: Sex Workers and Health Outcomes

This report analyzes episode 9 of series 1 of 'You Can't Ask That,' focusing on the lives and perspectives of sex workers in Australia. It explores the social determinants of prostitution, including environmental, social, economic, healthcare, and educational factors, and their impact on health outcomes. The report examines the similarities and differences in narratives among the sex workers, highlighting their views on empowerment, ethical considerations, and mutual respect. It also reviews a scholarly paper by Hargreaves et al. (2016), which examines HIV prevention strategies. The analysis emphasizes the importance of education, healthcare access, and policy changes to improve the well-being and social rights of sex workers, recognizing the interconnectedness of various social determinants. The report concludes that addressing these determinants through appropriate policies and practices is crucial for protecting the health and rights of sex workers, promoting their self-identity, and changing societal perceptions.

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In this study, we take an insight to the episode 9 of series 1 of ‘You Can’t Ask That’
that discusses about the life, feelings, philosophies of a sex workers based in Australia. In the
following sections, the social determinants of prostitution have been discussed and the
perspectives of sex workers have been analyzed based on various psychosocial scenarios and
cultural underpinnings. In the first section, the differences between the opinions of different
guests and the similarities amongst their thoughts have been explored. In the following
section, the social determinants underlying daily work of sex workers and the potential
impact of their daily life and profession on their health has been correlated. Following this, a
literature review of a scholarly paper based on the above discussion is performed. The sex
workers in Australia, in this interview, talks freely about the intricacies of their work and the
same intricacies has been scrutinized from different point of views and sociological analysis.
In the video, where a very sociological and subjective interview takes place with the
sex workers – both open ended and closed ended questions has been asked in order to gain an
insight and understanding into the sex worker’s life. As shown in the interview – the sex
workers open up about their daily work lives and their views on the same. They talk about the
nature of the clients they service on a regular basis but the most astonishing fact is that they
talked about the ethical concerns about ‘prostitution’ ever so freely and elucidated the idea
that ‘sex for money’ should not be thought or considered as unethical because the service is
like any other service that can bought for money and if both the parties – the clients and
service provides are professional enough to receive each other’s offerings in a uncomplicated
way – then the trade must receive a green signal (Duff et al., 2015). The most common
similarities amongst the visitors was that they all talked about their empowerment on
choosing the clients as well and how they prefer the client who are respectful to their esteem,
moods and physicality in whole (Lyons et al., 2017). The differences were such that some
focused on the business part of the sex work more than personal growth and their humanistic

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sides while the others were very much in touch with inner selves – transforming with their
feelings and they were sensitive enough to differentiate between the fine aspects of the
profession (Lyons et al., 2017). One of such intricacy is the making the choice between
having sex for money and having sex for pleasure but all of them agreed on the same opinion
that keeping a balance between their choices and perspectives of the decisions is extremely
vital. Mutual respect for each other’s bodies and feelings between the client and service
provider is critical for a service to be delivered in a healthy manner (Footer et al., 2016).
The social determinants of health such as environment, social, health care, economy
and education underpin the lives of sex workers in a major way (Lakew, Benedict & Haile,
2015). The environment where the sex workers work must be help hygienic and the proper
precautions has to be taken so as not to disturb the sociocultural harmony of the sex workers
harmony (Witte et al., 2015). It is important the social underpinnings of lives of sex workers
such as their social standings, the legal and ethical aspects of their profession that is
questioned so much by other sections of the society – is supported by proper administrative
bodies so that the sex workers can also live in the society with respect and self-esteem
(Duger, 2015). Education of the sex workers regarding their health, physical well-being and
mental well-being play a very crucial role in determining the quality of their daily lives and
many sex workers who were interviewed in the video – actually talked about their knowledge
about the practice as being a physical and emotional exercise to understand, recognize and
determine the nature of human beings (Duger, 2015). Similarly economy and health care
services in the proximity play an important part in determining the health status of the sex
workers (Prüss-Ustün et al., 2016). As for determining the health outcomes of the sex
workers – more education of these workers about their health and client’s health is as critical
as the presence of good health facilities, near their settlements where they can receive a good
health service such as health check-ups and health assessments to maintain their physical and

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mental well-being. Poor economy, poor health services facilitation and ignorance in
imparting the right education to the sex workers can severely impact the personal and the
professional lives of health workers (.Bekker et al., 2015). All the social determinants of
health are interconnected and interlinked with each other and even a unhygienic physical
environment along with a disturbed sociocultural environment can also lead to causation of
different sexually transmitted diseases like HIV and adverse health outcomes amongst the sex
workers. Hence, the social determinants underlying the lives and work of sex workers can
impact the health outcomes of these workers in either a positive way or an adverse way.
Hence, care has to be taken.
Hargreaves et al. (2016) aims to understand ‘The HIV prevention cascade: integrating
theories of epidemiological, behavioral, and social science into program design and
monitoring’ finds out revealing insights into the mechanism of social determinants of HIV
affection amongst the sex workers. The study uses various psychosocial and sociocultural
tools to analyze the behavioral, economic, health care and educational aspects of the sex
workers who should be made more ware and educationally empowered in order to prevent the
incidents of HIV infections (Figueroa et al., 2015). As in the narrations, the study as well
looks to the vitality of the preventive and safety measures like use of condoms and other
contraceptive measures as a first line of care along with a collateral education system for the
sex workers to make them more aware of the ‘right ways’ and the ‘wrong ways’ of dealing
with things. The study paper focuses on policy change by the government and administration
framework to incorporate more social and cultural rights for the sex workers and the study
reflects and emphasizes on the same as per the purpose of the research. The study determines
better health practices and behavioral change interventions to reshape the work experience
and professional insights of the sex workers and empowers the sex workers with proper rights
and education.

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Hence, it can be concluded saying that the social determinants of health has to be
assessed properly and true empowerment of the sex workers has to be bought to practice in
order to make sure that they receive their social, cultural rights and deserved sociocultural
rights. The health status of sex workers are affected by sexually transmitted diseases like HIV
and other hence the social determinants of health such as economy, social, health care,
education and environment has be complied by the government policies for health and social
safety. The legal and the economic framework within which the sex workers work and earn
their daily lives has to be strengthened as well. More than everything as mentioned and
pointed out by the sex workers in the interview – that their lives and rights should be
oppressed in any manner for they are human beings too and they have strong sense of self
identity, cultural identity and social identity as well. Overall, the perception about the lives of
sex workers has to be changed as well.

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References
Bekker, L. G., Johnson, L., Cowan, F., Overs, C., Besada, D., Hillier, S., & Cates Jr, W.
(2015). Combination HIV prevention for female sex workers: what is the
evidence?. The Lancet, 385(9962), 72-87.
Duff, P., Shoveller, J., Dobrer, S., Ogilvie, G., Montaner, J., Chettiar, J., & Shannon, K.
(2015). The relationship between social, policy and physical venue features and social
cohesion on condom use for pregnancy prevention among sex workers: a safer indoor
work environment scale. J Epidemiol Community Health, 69(7), 666-672.
Duger, A. (2015). Focusing on Prevention: The Social and Economic Rights of Children
Vulnerable to Sex Trafficking. Health & Human Rights: An International
Journal, 17(1).
Figueroa, J. P., Cooper, C. J., Edwards, J. K., Byfield, L., Eastman, S., Hobbs, M. M., &
Weir, S. S. (2015). Understanding the high prevalence of HIV and other sexually
transmitted infections among socio-economically vulnerable men who have sex with
men in Jamaica. PLoS One, 10(2), e0117686.
Footer, K. H., Silberzahn, B. E., Tormohlen, K. N., & Sherman, S. G. (2016). Policing
practices as a structural determinant for HIV among sex workers: a systematic review
of empirical findings. Journal of the International AIDS Society, 19, 20883.
Lakew, Y., Benedict, S., & Haile, D. (2015). Social determinants of HIV infection, hotspot
areas and subpopulation groups in Ethiopia: evidence from the National Demographic
and Health Survey in 2011. BMJ open, 5(11), e008669.

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Lyons, T., Krüsi, A., Pierre, L., Kerr, T., Small, W., & Shannon, K. (2017). Negotiating
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Shannon, K., Strathdee, S. A., Goldenberg, S. M., Duff, P., Mwangi, P., Rusakova, M., ... &
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Witte, S. S., Aira, T., Tsai, L. C., Riedel, M., Offringa, R., Chang, M., ... & Ssewamala, F.
(2015). Efficacy of a savings-led microfinance intervention to reduce sexual risk for
HIV among women engaged in sex work: A randomized clinical trial. American
Journal of Public Health, 105(3), e95-e102.