Anders Hesselbom

Economic empowerment is a critical component of initiatives to reduce vulnerability and empower sex workers to gain greater control over their lives. As such, initiatives should aim to involve sex workers, reduce harm, increase options and respect choice – initiatives must be voluntary and available to sex workers without any conditions that they stop or reduce their involvement in sex work. Economic empowerment should emphasise both individual opportunities and collective action through support to sex worker-led organisations and networks. The potential benefits of such initiatives are numerous-both for sex workers themselves and for the larger community, in terms of poverty reduction, women and child welfare and public health. Economic empowerment initiatives should be provided in the context of broader empowerment and HIV-prevention efforts designed with and for sex workers.