Civil society organizations in the prevention of sexually transmitted infections among female sex workers, in Portugal

Abstract

According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control report (ECDC, 2013), which compares data on HIV prevalence among sex workers in 27 countries in Europe and Central Asia, Portugal is the country with the third highest prevalence of the infection among sex workers. The comparatively high prevalence of the infection among sex workers in Portugal contrasts with the reported use of means of prevention and diagnosis. The article will focus on one aspect of this phenomenon: the activity of civil society organizations working in the area of preventing STI in Portugal, in order to analyze how they relate to female sex workers and design the social support programs directed at them. This matter arises as pertinent since the discrepancy observed may indicate a formal compliance (but not necessarily a real one), from the sex workers, to a socially valued prevention rhetoric, which is channeled through the organizations. This discourse can be perceived as more or less valid, conditioning the practical implementation of means or prevention, which is an essential factor in analyzing the effectiveness of these preventive interventions.