Safety in Sex Work

Sex work is one of the most dangerous professions there is. Often there are situations that put you at risk for violence because of the isolating factors of the sex trade. Here are some tips to stay safer while working.

· Always get the money up front and negotiate your services before you get started. It is more difficult to negotiate after the fact.

· When working on the street, try to work with a friend. Watch out for each other; notice the details of the date (age, ethnicity, identifying features such as tattoos/scars), and their car (color, year, make). Also notice what time they left, and write down the license plate number if you can.

· When doing outcall work, make sure someone knows where you are going and what time you are expected to return. If your agency doesn’t do this for you, or you work independently, find a friend that you can trust.

· When getting into a car or going into a date’s place make sure you are the only one there. Scan the room, check behind doors and in back seats.

· Try to stay sober, or reduce the amount of drugs and alcohol you use on a date. The more high or drunk you are, the more difficult it is to negotiate with clients. While high or drunk you may agree to services that you do not normally offer.

· Read bad date sheets and carry one with you.

· Don’t carry valuables on you-purse, wallet, jewellery could all be stolen. Carry only your Health Care card for ID.

· Above all trust your instincts. If you don’t trust someone, don’t go with them. Very rarely are our instincts wrong!

Bad Dates:

Shift publishes the bad date sheet so sex workers can share bad experiences and help protect each other. Please report any bad dates you have had anonymously and confidentially. You can report online at www.shiftcalgary.org or leave a message on our 24 hour hot-line number: 403. 237.8171. Staff at Safeworks, can also help you to report: 403. 850.3755. Both indoor and outdoor workers can report bad dates.

So, what is a bad date? Anything that you do not want yourself or others to experience. Anytime you get that uneasy or creepy feeling, theft, refusal of payment, threats or all acts of violence are examples of a bad date. To report the bad date to Calgary Police Services, please call 403. 206.5950.

Why has syphilis made headlines lately?

The cases of syphilis in Alberta have dramatically increased since 2000. There were 267 known cases of syphilis in 2009 compared to only 15 in 2000. “In Alberta in 2009, there have been seven confirmed cases of infants born with congenital syphilis; another six infants remain under investigation. By contrast, in 2009 there has been one case of congenital syphilis reported in one other Canadian province” (Alberta Health and Wellness, Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, p. 1, 2010).

The Alberta government has responded with an edgy online campaign; http://plentyofsyph.com/ which includes a website, Twitter and YouTube channel. They have also launched several primetime commercials addressing syphilis, utilizing the online dating theme. PlentyofSyph.com is a fictitious dating site that is complete with a variety of member profiles and videos (all played by actors and actresses) of individuals dealing with different stages of syphilis infection. Via the videos and profiles, members discuss their syphilis stages and symptoms in very graphic terms. As visitors peruse the profiles they learn tidbits about syphilis signs and symptoms. Within a profile, a visitor can read about the person’s syphilis stage and if they click on the contact button, they are linked to the “help/info” section. The “help/info” button is also on the top corner of the site and when clicked takes the visitor to the section that provides concise information on syphilis symptoms, prevention, testing and treatment. “Membership” is revoked when an individual is treated and cured of the disease.

So what is syphilis?
Syphilis is a bacterial infection that is sexually transmitted. It can be transmitted via oral, vaginal, anal intercourse, sharing of sex toys or other sexual activities. Syphilis can also be transmitted from an infected mother transmitted to her unborn child.

Syphilis is curable, but if left untreated can cause long-term health problems such as mental illness, blindness, deafness, heart disease or even death. Having an active case of syphilis can also increase your risk of becoming infected with other STI’s such as HIV.

Untreated syphilis progresses through four stages:

Primary Stage
During the primary stage of syphilis infection, a painless sore or ulcer appears at the point where the bacteria has entered the body; usually the genital area, anus, or throat. This sore may also be found in unconventional areas like on the hands, etc. Because the sore is painless, many people may not know the sore is there, specifically if it is in an area where it is not easily visible. (Health Canada, 2006)

Secondary Stage
In the secondary stage of syphilis, generally the painless sore will go away, and symptoms such as the following may occur:
• Patchy hair loss
• A rash on the soles of the feet, the palms of the hands or elsewhere on the body
• Fever
• Swollen glands
• Muscle and joint pain (Health Canada, 2006)

Latent Stage
The latent stage of syphilis begins when there are no more symptoms of secondary syphilis. At this point, the bacteria are still present in the body, with no apparent symptoms at all. During the first portion of this stage known as “early latent”, the individual is still highly Infectious. Later on in this stage, the individual will move into the “late latent” stage, where the chance of transmission becomes very low. If untreated in latent syphilis, the infection may progress to what’s known as “tertiary syphilis”.

Tertiary Stage
Without treatment this infection may progress to tertiary or “late” syphilis. During this stage, the bacteria will damage the eyes, brain, nervous system, heart, joints, and most of the rest of the body. It may take years or even decades from the point of infection for syphilis to progress to this stage” (AIDS Calgary).

“Late syphilis can result in mental illness, blindness, deafness, memory loss or other neurological problems, heart disease, and death. Late neurosyphilis (brain or spinal cord damage) is one of the most severe signs of this stage.” (NIAID, 2009)

Syphilis Prevention Strategies
1. “Be aware that your inhibitions are lowered when you have been drinking or taking drugs. - Even when sober it can be easy to get caught up in the heat of the moment. The Bottom line: Always be prepared. Buy your condoms and lube now.

2. Don’t think that you can tell who has syphilis just by looking at them. Anyone can get syphilis and there may be no visible signs that someone is infected.

3. Pay attention to your body. Check for sores or rashes. Often syphilis goes unnoticed because the symptoms are similar to other infections or people just don’t notice their symptoms.

4. Get tested. The earlier syphilis is diagnosed, the easier it is to treat it. “Infectious syphilis is completely treatable with antibiotics (generally penicillin), and is much easier to treat early on…Aside from a family doctor, you can also get tested at the Calgary STI Clinic, Safeworks or a Family Planning Clinic.” (AIDS Calgary starting September, 2011).

The good news is that it’s easy to reduce your risk of contracting syphilis. There are many safer sex tools such as condoms, dental dams and gloves, which you can use to reduce your risk of contracting the infection or any other STI’s.

What do you think?
The “Plenty of Syph” website is very interactive with the ability to review varied make believe“profiles” of men and women from various backgrounds and sexual orientations. As of June 29, 2011, the campaign’s YouTube channel; http://www.youtube.com/user/plentyofsyph has had over 40,000 upload views. In addition to all of the media attention, the campaign has also garnered a great deal of controversy given the provocative nature of its content.

But the campaign has also endured some criticism. The Calgary Herald recently reported that the Vancouver based dating site PlentyofFish.com has some contention with the mock site’s name similarity and services (Calgary Herald, Real dating website sore over Alberta syphilis campaign, 2011). There have also been rumours that this campaign could insinuate that only individuals who engage in online dating are at risk for contracting syphilis. Whether you find the campaign intriguing or offensive, it’s certainly achieved increased syphilis awareness and hopefully instigated safer sex practices and encouraged testing. Check it out and tell us what you think.

Sources

1. Health Canada, (2006). Syphilis. Retrieved June 29, 2011, from It's Your Health Web site: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/diseases-maladies/Syphilis-eng.php

2. NIAID, (2009). Syphilis. Retrieved June 28, 2011, from Understanding Web site: http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/Syphilis/understanding/symptoms.htm

3. Alberta Health and Wellness, Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health (2010). The Syphilis Outbreak in Alberta http://www.health.alberta.ca/documents/STI-Syphilis-Report-2010.pdf

4. AIDS Calgary, retrieved June 28, 2011 from: http://lookwhatsback.com/

5.The Calgary Herald, Real dating website sore over Alberta syphilis campaign, Bryce Forbes. June 15, 2011. http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/Real+dating+website+sore+over+Alberta+syphilis+campaign/4948180/story.html

This blog was orginally posted on AIDS Calgary's The A Word August 11, 2011 http://aidscalgary.blogspot.com/

Harm Reduction & Sex Work: They Can Go Together!

The Shift Blog has had numerous posts on harm reduction recently, but has missed the important piece of exploring how the principles of harm reduction and sex work can go together. To explain the relationship between harm reduction and sex work, this week’s post will examine how harm reduction can be applied to sex work.

Harm reduction refers to a range of services designed to reduce the harmful consequences associated with recreational drug use and other high risk activities. Basic harm reduction principles recognize that individuals who engage in high risk activities such as shared drug use or unprotected sex are potentially at risk for endangering their health, but for many people abstaining from these activities is not possible. Harm reduction works to reduce the risks associated with these activities by education and providing resources.

Sex work can be a dangerous profession. Sex workers can be exposed to serious harms: drug use, disease, violence, discrimination, debt, criminalization, and exploitation to name a few. The use of harm reduction principles can help make sex workers' lives safer and healthier.

For the Shift program, harm reduction means that we focus on a non-exit based approach. That means that for any adult who wishes to exit or leave sex work, Shift will provide the individual with the support to do so, however it is not mandatory to exit sex work to access our services. This reduces the harm associated with sex work by ensuring support and services are open to everyone in sex work, not just those who are interested or able to exit.

Shift also uses harm reduction principles by offering free safer sex supplies such as male and female condoms, dental dams and lube to both individuals and agencies involved in sex work. Working safer also means that sex workers have information around how to screen clients or increase their personal safety while on the job. Shift will offer such safety and screening tips to sex workers who request it. As well, Shift publishes the bad date sheet. The Bad Date sheet is list of bad dates sex workers have reported to us which is then disseminated to other workers who can use the information to screen their potential dates.

Shift’s additional support services such as housing, food, and counseling can also be seen as utilizing harm reduction principles because we believe individuals such as our clients, who are not hungry or in need of stable housing, as example, are less vulnerable and will then have the ability to make safer decisions for themselves.

Regardless of the decisions a person makes in his/her life, everyone deserves health, safety and wellbeing. Harm reduction helps provide those basic human rights.

Come walk with us!

The 2011 Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life is almost upon us. For those of you familiar with our agency, you may already know that the Walk is our biggest fundraiser You also know that the money raised through the walk goes to our vital support, prevention and education programs for AIDS Calgary-including the Shift Program!

For one Sunday in September, every year, anywhere from 500 – 1000 people gather in Eau Claire Plaza. They may be walking as friends, family or coworkers of AIDS Calgary. They may be walking in support of someone who is living with HIV or in memory of a loved one. They may be walking because they care about adults involved in sex work and know that by supporting AIDS Calgary’s Shift Program they are helping to maintain the work that we do. Whether our Walkers have raised 50 dollars, 5,000 dollars or no dollars, they are making a contribution;they are standing up for their community.

Walk to raise money for support services. Walk to end stigma and discrimination. Whatever your reason, just Walk.

Join us on Sunday, September 25th at the 2011 Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life. Rain or shine, the walk begins at 12:00pm. Visit www.aidscalgary.org to learn more, get registered or make a donation.

This post is an adaptation of a blog posted on the A Word September 3, 2009.