This blog is written in recognition of the International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Sex Workers, observed annually on December 17th. This day is a reminder of the unique violence, discrimination, and marginalization that sex workers face globally, and it calls for the need for policies, services, and societal changes that promote the safety, dignity, and rights of all sex workers. As we work toward eliminating violence against sex workers, we must also continue to foster spaces of solidarity, healing, and empowerment.
Introduction
Throughout our history, the sex work profession has been viewed through a lens of morality, leading to the criminalization of sex workers. While sex work itself is not illegal, Canadian law criminalizes many activities surrounding the work, including the purchase of sexual services. Since Canadian laws around sex work do not allow for designated working facilities where sex work can take place, many sex workers engage in street-based work to earn an income.
The stigma surrounding sex work creates harmful barriers to accessing important resources such as health care, legal representation, safe housing and mental health supports. This increases the danger street-based sex workers face, highlighting the need for specialized support services. These services can help them meet basic needs, build a supportive community, and create spaces where sex workers can work together to advocate for their rights.
Sex worker drop-in spaces are an important type of support. In recent years, many non-profit organizations, including those led by sex workers, have adopted this approach to service delivery and design.
What are Sex Worker Drop-In Programs?
There is wide variation in how sex worker drop-in spaces and programs are operated, but all of these organizations strive to offer an easily accessible, low-barrier supportive, and welcoming space. These drop-in spaces are important for accessing material necessities (food, safer sex supplies, healthcare), safe referrals, and building a supportive community. Many drop-in services are part of larger organizations that provide a range of support services and advocacy efforts.
As a part of a larger research study, I have conducted a web-based environmental scan focused on identifying and further understanding sex worker supporting programs, specifically drop-ins:
- I found 41 organizations that support sex workers across Canada through advocacy or other services, 16 providing drop-ins for sex workers:
- 11 of these spaces were sex worker specific drop-ins
- 5 were sex worker welcoming drop-ins
It is important to note that this scan was not exhaustive, and there are likely more drop-ins that serve sex workers across Canada that do not advertise as such online.
The programs I studied varied in days and times of operation, with the majority running during weekday evenings. The programming offered aims to provide a safe space for sex workers to rest, build community, and access resources.
The spatial layout of drop-in spaces are typically designed with basic facilities like a washroom, kitchen, and lounge. Some also offer additional features like resting areas, showers, laundry, activity spaces, outdoor areas, and private rooms for conversations. They provide snacks, hot meals, hygiene products, safer sex materials, safer drug use materials, makeup and clothing. Other services may include counselling, case management, referrals, workshops, and community events.
Sex worker drop-in spaces are run by either social service professionals or peer workers, or a mix of both, as peer work and mutual aid are greatly valued in these spaces. Drop-ins also help build solidarity and support advocacy efforts to advance sex workers’ rights. In addition, these spaces make it easier to access important health and social service referrals. By providing a safe space to access resources and community, drop-ins improve the safety and well-being of the sex-working community.
Best Practice Recommendations for Sex Worker Drop-Ins
The following are recommendations for promising practices for developing sex worker drop-in spaces. These recommendations are based on what I found drop-ins are doing through my environmental scan, as well as from an accompanying literature review regarding sex work policies and sex worker advocacy. They all present tangible actions that social service providers can take to create a much-needed welcoming space for sex workers.
- Dedicate an intentionally designed, accessible space for a sex worker drop-in program: The physical space will impact who feels comfortable using it and how it is used. To make it more inclusive, strive to create a low-barrier space by avoiding sign-in systems that require legal names and offering outdoor access, such as in-and-out privileges. This also includes ensuring the space has a safe outdoor smoking area.
- Build trust with the community: Trust is built over time through honesty, transparency, and consistent support.
- Be peer-led where possible: Find leaders within the sex worker community, build upon their skills, and equip them to support the community. This will help with building connections and trust more naturally. Train peer support workers in crisis intervention and self-defence to increase their safety and autonomy in the community. Create a sex worker advisory group to strategize about programming and policy recommendations. This could include providing training to community agencies to become better allies to sex workers.
- Make your agency’s position on sex work clear: Be transparent about your reasons for offering programs that support sex workers. Leverage the agency’s position of influence to educate other service providers and the police on how to better support sex workers. This can include educating service providers on how to support sex workers through their work and advocating for the police to take reports from sex workers seriously.
- Build programs that support choice: Provide as many unbiased, well-informed choices as possible, allowing sex workers to engage in the sex trade safely or exit if they wish. Understand the differences between sexual exploitation, sex trafficking, and consensual sex work, as each has unique implications for policy, programming, and advocacy.
- Design innovative programs and outreach services to support sex workers: Focus on programs that promote overall well-being, not just survival. Offer activities and opportunities that foster growth and empowerment. Bring in trusted health and social service providers to offer their services within the drop-in space. This will make it easier for sex workers to access these services and build ongoing connections with service providers. Find creative ways to engage in outreach, such as outreach vans that run during sex workers’ working hours. These vans provide refreshments, harm reduction supplies, and referrals while offering a place to rest and access support.
- Design programming based on who you support: Recognize the diversity among sex workers and consider what sub-population you want to support. The sex working community is not a homogenous group, and needs/desires for programming vary.
- Provide accessible information: Ensure information about the program is readily available, clear, and transparent. This includes hours of note, mealtimes, program funders and partners to allow for informed decisions about access to supports. Create a directory of allied service providers for easy access to specialized supports.
- Develop ways to reduce violence and build connection: Position the agency as a mediator for diffusing tension/conflict in the community between residents, businesses, sex workers, individuals who use substances, and individuals experiencing homelessness to reduce police involvement. Provide sensitivity training for police and advocate for specialized officers to support sex workers. Assist with third-party reporting to police about violence experienced by sex workers and support follow-up with the investigation.
- Offer practical support and information: Provide workshops and information on important topics such as human rights, tenant rights, Occupational Health and Safety, violence prevention and response, STBBI prevention and care, overdose prevention, and bookkeeping. Provide accompaniment services where additional support may be beneficial.
Conclusion
Sex worker drop-in spaces carry a significant role in filling the gap in accessible services and community. By intentionally designing and implementing drop-in spaces in our communities, there is great potential to provide much-needed support to sex workers as they continue to navigate resistance to harmful policies and stigmatization.