Implementing Comprehensive HIV/STI Programmes with Sex Workers Implementing Comprehensive HIV/STI Programmes with | Page 57
2 Addressing Violence against Sex Workers
Box 2.9
Case example: Avahan’s crisis response system in India
A crisis response system provides rapid on-the-spot support to sex workers who face violence or some
other crisis. The sex worker accesses support by calling the mobile phone of a member of a crisis response
team. The team includes trained community members who:
• assess the nature and urgency of the crisis
• take steps to address immediate danger
• facilitate access to medical services, psychosocial and other relevant support
• provide access to a lawyer in case of arrest to support negotiations with the authorities
• provide counselling
• report and document incidents of violence and the team’s response
• assist in resolving family or community issues affecting sex workers
• report back to the community on a regular basis on incidents that have occurred and their resolution
(while respecting the confidentiality of those who have experienced violence).
1. The team includes a person to receive calls, other community members who are on call 24/7 to respond
to incidents, and a data person to document the incidents of violence.
2. The team is supported by a social worker from the local implementing organization 6 to provide referrals,
and one or more lawyers (working pro bono or on a small retainer) who can negotiate with authorities
on behalf of sex workers who have been wrongfully arrested or detained, and who can support training
for sex workers about their rights.
3. A response protocol specifies the steps for rapid follow-up in the case of physical or sexual violence;
for preventing police harassment, or unlawful detention after arrest; or for rapid intervention if someone
is contemplating suicide.
4. The infrastructure includes local mobile phones and/or helplines that people may call, and outreach to
promote the service.
5. Details of incidents of violence and the actions taken are recorded as soon as possible after the incident.
This information may be helpful as evidence for legal purposes, to provide data on the scale of violence
faced by sex workers for advocacy, and for planning services.
6. The system builds links with health care, legal services, temporary housing or shelter, transport and
other social services through a directory of services and establishes working arrangements with service
providers to accept referrals and provide high-quality services.
In the Avahan programme, the system has been scaled up from a few dozen teams to several hundred
in six states of India, using common minimum standards and adapting programmes to the local context.
The system is managed by sex workers, although financial resources (usually from the implementing
organization) are required to sustain it.
7 An implementing organization is an organization delivering a prevention intervention to sex workers. It may be a governmental, nongovernmental, community-based
or community-led organization, and may work at a state, district or local level. Sometimes an NGO provides services through sub-units at multiple locations within an
urban area, and in this case, each of those sub-units may also be considered an implementing organization.
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