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Date: April 19, 2024 Fri
Time: 3:53 pm
Time: 3:53 pm
Results for condoms
2 results foundAuthor: PROS Network Title: Public Health Crisis: The Impact of Using Condoms as Evidence of Prostitution in New York City Summary: The confiscation of condoms by police and the use of condoms as evidence of prostitution‐related offenses is a public health issue that has long been decried by human rights organizations and harm reduction service providers who interact with people in the sex trade and other vulnerable populations on a daily basis. This practice has been documented in cities across the United States, as well as in countries around the world for over a decade (Alliance for a Safe & Diverse DC 2008; Amnesty International 2005; Human Rights Watch 2004, 2006; Thukral & Ditmore 2003). PROS Network (Providers and Resources Offering Services to sex workers) members have been receiving reports from their clients and constituents for years that the police are confiscating their condoms during street encounters and arrests for prostitution‐related crimes. In response to concerns about the impact of this practice on the health and safety of their clients and constituents, the PROS Network has participated in two studies to document this practice and its effects, and to strengthen the case for policy reform around the use of condoms as evidence of prostitution. In the experience of PROS Network members, condom confiscation is primarily experienced by people who are– or are perceived to be–involved in the sex trades, as well as by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) adults and youth of color, and street‐based and lower income communities. Ironically, these are some of the same populations that have been targeted for increased HIV prevention programming and condom distribution. In addition to directly conflicting with state public health policies and initiatives to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic, such as the distribution of free New York City condoms, the use of condom possession to prove evidence of intent to engage in prostitution‐related offenses is dangerously undermining people’s efforts to protect themselves and others, and discouraging people from carrying condoms. Fortunately, legislative measures have been introduced in New York to stop this harmful practice. In 1999, New York State Assembly Bill S.1645 was sponsored and introduced by State Senator Velmanette Montgomery (D – 18th District), who was later joined by State Assemblywoman Barbara M. Clark (D – 33rd District), to amend the civil practice law, the criminal procedure law, and the executive law to prohibit the introduction of condoms as evidence of prostitution and prostitution‐related offenses. At the time of this report’s publication, the current version of this legislation, Bill A1008/S323 is still under consideration by the New York State Senate Rules Committee and the New York State Assembly Codes Committee. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) partnered with the PROS Network between August and October 2010 to conduct a study to examine the prevalence of the confiscation of condoms by the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and the use of such condoms as evidence of prostitution‐related offenses in criminal cases (hereinafter referred to as “the DOHMH Study”). The survey was also designed to determine the extent to which this practice discouraged people from carrying condoms. One of the objectives of the DOHMH Study was to evaluate and highlight the public health impact of this practice in New York City. Target populations for the DOHMH Study included people in the sex trade and other populations accessing harm reduction services. Sixty‐three people participated in the survey, and the qualitative and quantitative survey data were analyzed and presented in a report completed in December 2010. However, the DOHMH Study was not released to the public until February 2012, when a partially redacted version was disclosed in response to a Freedom of Information Law request filed by Human Rights Watch. In the interim, the PROS Network decided in August 2011 to conduct additional research on the confiscation and use of condoms as evidence in New York City (hereinafter referred to as “the PROS Network Study”). The PROS Network Study was initiated with the aim of investigating and documenting the experiences of people in the sex trade and other communities with the policing of condoms. Another objective of the study was to raise awareness of the impacts that the New York City Police Department’s approach to enforcing prostitution laws has on the health, safety and human rights of people in the sex trade and other marginalized communities. Finally, the study was initiated with the objective of making recommendations to improve the treatment of people in the sex trade and other vulnerable populations by the NYPD; to improve the relations between these communities and the police; and to challenge police practices that actively hinder or obstruct access to HIV prevention resources. Details: New York: The PROS Network, Sex Workers Project, 2012. 74p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 29, 2012 at: http://sexworkersproject.org/downloads/2012/20120417-public-health-crisis.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://sexworkersproject.org/downloads/2012/20120417-public-health-crisis.pdf Shelf Number: 126491 Keywords: CondomsHIV (Viruses)Prostitutes ( New York City, U.S.)ProstitutionSex Workers |
Author: Asia Catalyst Title: The Condom Quandary: A Study of the Impact of Law Enforcement Practices on Effective HIV Prevention among Male, Female, and Transgender Sex Workers in China Summary: Sex work is illegal in China, and law enforcement practices that focus on condoms as evidence of prostitution are having a negative impact on HIV prevention among sex workers. When Lanlan, who runs a community based organization (CBO) and support group for sex workers in northern China, introduced female condoms to the female sex workers she works with as part of her CBO's HIV and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) program, their first reaction was: "The female condom is too big. We can't swallow it if the police come!" This story highlights the conundrum sex workers in China face when attempting to avoid penalties by law enforcement and protect themselves from sexually transmitted diseases and infections (STIs) and HIV. Details: New York: Asia Catalyst, 2016. 84p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 13, 2016 at: http://asiacatalyst.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/The-Condom-Quandary-Report_en.pdf Year: 2016 Country: China URL: http://asiacatalyst.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/The-Condom-Quandary-Report_en.pdf Shelf Number: 146787 Keywords: CondomsHIVProstitutesProstitutionSex Workers |