Implementing Comprehensive HIV/STI Programmes with Sex Workers Implementing Comprehensive HIV/STI Programmes with | Page 17

Introduction

This tool is the product of collaboration among sex workers, service providers, researchers,
government officials and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) from around the world, as well as
United Nations agencies, and development partners from the United States. The tool is aligned with
the 2012 Recommendations. It also refers to a global consultation conducted with sex workers by
NSWP as part of the process of developing the 2012 Recommendations. This consultation document
is referred to in this tool as the “values and preferences survey”.2

Definition of sex workers

How to use this tool
This tool is designed for use by public-health officials and managers of HIV, AIDS and STI programmes;
NGOs, including community and civil-society organizations; and health workers. It may also be of
interest to international funding agencies, health policy-makers and advocates.
The authors recognize that the tool may not be read from cover to cover. However, the reader is
urged to at least look over all six chapters rather than concentrating only on those that may be of
most immediate interest, in order to understand how each contributes to the goal of comprehensive
programmes for sex workers. Each chapter explicitly or implicitly addresses one or more of the
2012 Recommendations. The first three chapters describe approaches and principles to building
programmes that are led by the sex worker community. These community-led approaches are
themselves essential interventions. Chapters 4 and 5 describe how to implement the recommended
health-care interventions for HIV prevention, treatment and care. Chapter 6 describes how to manage
programmes and build the capacity of sex worker organizations. (See Figure 1.)

2 Female, Male and Transgender Sex Workers’ Perspectives on HIV & STI Prevention and Treatment Services. Edinburgh, United Kingdom: Global Network of Sex Work Projects,
2011.
3 UNAIDS guidance note on HIV and sex work. Geneva: Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, updated 2012.

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