The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected the lives of sex workers, resulting in an increase in violence, harassment and abuse of sex workers around the world.
Mostly because of financial reasons, sex workers are forced to meet with clients with whom they do not feel comfortable or are unable to negotiate about security measures due to the Covid 19.
Sex workers are further stigmatized because societies perceive them as potential for the spread of the virus. Sex workers – especially those who are transgender or migrants – are subject to over-control by the police and punitive measures related to the implementation of Covid’s regulations.
Sex workers in the UK are facing increased violence and hardship as a result of restrictions and quarantines, according to charities and sex worker support organizations. They said that sex workers are in a worse position than ever. Those who left sex work came back, others who had regular clients and stopped working on the street had to return, and some started doing sex work for the first time in their lives because they had no money and were desperate. Violent incidents are on the rise, they say, as clients take advantage of sex workers’ desperate situation. Workers’ mental health suffered significantly and resulted in a large number of sex workers on the verge of suicide.
Norwegian police have arrested sex workers on charges of violating quarantine restrictions. They face detention and deportation from Norway even though they have never committed any other crime. Media reports indicate that some sex workers have already been forced to leave the country until their clients have been arrested.
In Hungary, a spokesman for the Hungarian Sex Workers’ Association said that due to pressure on the healthcare system, it was currently “almost impossible” to get tested for sexually transmitted diseases. On the other hand, these examinations are part of the mandatory health certificates that sex workers are required to have in order to be able to work.
In Germany, a member of the sex workers’ trade association BesD told the media that many services available to sex workers without health insurance were closed or restricted.
For transgender and homeless sex workers in Berlin, the problems are growing. Some reports of trans-sex workers reported that shelters for the homeless were closed and transgender sex workers were rejected by women’s organizations.
Many sex work groups raise funds for those struggling with the pandemic. But these founders are just a “drop in the ocean”. Even relatively large assets are quickly depleted.
The first wave put many sex workers in an existential crisis. As the pandemic continues and the state of emergency continues, the problems of sex workers on a global scale are deepening.