Workshop on SRHR services for sex workers
HIV/AIDS Research and Welfare Centre, a community-based non-government organisation, arranged the event in Dhaka
Sex workers, at a workshop on their health rights, highlighted the lack of Sexual and Reproduction Health and Rights (SRHR) services and the barriers to accessing those services..
At the event, "Breaking the Silence: Sexual and Reproduction Health and Rights (SRHR) for Sex Workers in Bangladesh", they said the most common reason for seeking SRHR services is family planning which includes birth control pills and injections; these are mainly referred to as abortion and menstruation regulation.
HIV/AIDS Research and Welfare Centre (HARC), a community-based non-government organisation, arranged the three-day workshop in Dhaka on 22-24 November with forty five sex workers participating, reads a press release.
Participants said none of the NGOs are prioritising providing SRHR services at low or no cost. As a result, the majority of sex workers seek SRHR services at private clinics where they must pay out of their pockets.
They said the horrors of stigma and discrimination linger at every corner and in every interaction at government clinics, which is why they prefer avoiding using such services.
The choice of health service provider primarily involves being referred to the facility by outreach workers, costs, and quality of services. Location is also a concern in choosing a facility. It was found that often these facilities are not located in areas convenient for sex workers, participants added.
Privacy is another concern. Most sex workers there said existing service providers do not maintain privacy and confidentiality in providing SRHR services.
Most of the participants said their last clinic visit took somewhat long or too long, like availing abortion services that have very long wait times.
As Drop-in-Centres (DiCs) are the preferred health facility for SWs, the lack of sexual and reproduction health and rights services at DiCs contributes to the issue of access, trust, and poor coverage of SRHR services.
Participating sex workers at the event put forward a variety of recommendations to improve the sexual and reproduction health and rights services for them.
