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Sexuality Research and Social Policy

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09-02-2018

Women in Sex Work and the Risk Environment: Agency, Risk Perception, and Management in the Sex Work Environments of Two Mexico-U.S. Border Cities

Authors: Eli Andrade, René Leyva, Mei-Po Kwan, Carlos Magis, Hugo Stainez-Orozco, Kimberly Brouwer

Published in: Sexuality Research and Social Policy | Issue 3/2019

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Abstract

Sex work around the world takes place under conditions of structural violence and vulnerability. The Mexico-U.S. border region is characterized by the presence of factors that increase the risk for health harms among female sex workers (FSW); located in this context, the risk environments of Tijuana and Ciudad Juárez have similar yet distinct characteristics that influence how risk is produced and experienced among FSWs. Exploring the ways in which FSWs enact agency in risk environments can illustrate how environmental characteristics shape perceived risks and the strategies that FSWs develop to manage them. This approach also identifies the limits that are placed by environmental characteristics over the capacity for harm reduction and prevention practices among FSWs. We analyzed the role of agency in the work environments of female sex workers and its relationship with risk perception and management in the cities of Tijuana and Cd. Juárez.

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Title: Women in Sex Work and the Risk Environment: Agency, Risk Perception, and Management in the Sex Work Environments of Two Mexico-U.S. Border Cities
Authors: Eli Andrade
René Leyva
Mei-Po Kwan
Carlos Magis
Hugo Stainez-Orozco
Kimberly Brouwer
Publication date: 09-02-2018
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Sexuality Research and Social Policy / Issue 3/2019
Print ISSN: 1868-9884
Electronic ISSN: 1553-6610
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-018-0318-0

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