So the Greek government, in response to a surge in HIV cases, has been rounding up female sex workers. Then putting their photos online to warn off , in their words, 'married family men'. Vigilante groups gathered outside the women's homes, yelling abuse at their families. This was in May and around twenty six women remain in jail.
HIV cases had increased by around 57% from last year, but this owes more to government spending costs - firstly reducing the number of needle exchanges, and secondly pushing more women into the sex work industry. With more sex workers and reduced incomes came greater pressure on women to have unsafe sex. Not only did this put women in incredibly vulnerable positions but also contributed to this increase in cases which bucks the general worldwide downward trend.
Rounding up female sex workers will do nothing to stop the spread of HIV. Even if sex workers were a significant source of the infection (rather than government cuts reducing provision for drug users or rather than their clientele insisting on unsafe sex), than those who pay for sex will move elsewhere taking the infection with them.
Instead of protecting its citizens, the Greek government is sending out the all too familiar message that women, and especially women who work in the sex industry, are not able to control their bodies - unable to control them from spreading infection to 'family men', and unable to protect themselves. From England's 'Contagious Diseases Act' in the 1860s, to Germany pre and post WW2*, to Greece today, women suspected of working as prostitutes are, in the eyes of the state, dangerous to themselves and especially to the rest of society, and can be arrested and forcibly examined if the state desires. Instead of promoting safe practice within the sex industry, governments and police forces not only mistreat women, but in recent cases across the USA, police would search sex workers and seize condoms, forcing them into having unsafe sex. These seized condoms are sometimes used as evidence in prostitution cases but are usually just seized and destroyed. The message is clear - women, especially sex workers, are not able to control their bodies, the female body must be policed.
So basically, government cuts and treatment of female sex workers can be awful - who knew?
HIV cases had increased by around 57% from last year, but this owes more to government spending costs - firstly reducing the number of needle exchanges, and secondly pushing more women into the sex work industry. With more sex workers and reduced incomes came greater pressure on women to have unsafe sex. Not only did this put women in incredibly vulnerable positions but also contributed to this increase in cases which bucks the general worldwide downward trend.
Rounding up female sex workers will do nothing to stop the spread of HIV. Even if sex workers were a significant source of the infection (rather than government cuts reducing provision for drug users or rather than their clientele insisting on unsafe sex), than those who pay for sex will move elsewhere taking the infection with them.
Instead of protecting its citizens, the Greek government is sending out the all too familiar message that women, and especially women who work in the sex industry, are not able to control their bodies - unable to control them from spreading infection to 'family men', and unable to protect themselves. From England's 'Contagious Diseases Act' in the 1860s, to Germany pre and post WW2*, to Greece today, women suspected of working as prostitutes are, in the eyes of the state, dangerous to themselves and especially to the rest of society, and can be arrested and forcibly examined if the state desires. Instead of promoting safe practice within the sex industry, governments and police forces not only mistreat women, but in recent cases across the USA, police would search sex workers and seize condoms, forcing them into having unsafe sex. These seized condoms are sometimes used as evidence in prostitution cases but are usually just seized and destroyed. The message is clear - women, especially sex workers, are not able to control their bodies, the female body must be policed.
So basically, government cuts and treatment of female sex workers can be awful - who knew?
*see Victoria Harris' Selling Sex in the Reich, super-interesting and generally amazing
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