The Impact of Covid-19 on the Rights of Women in Sex Work in Colombia

Overview: Women involved in sex work endure much stigma and hardships. This study explores the access to human rights of women involved in sex work during the Covid-19 pandemic in Cúcuta, Colombia. The results indicate a need to provide greater access to formal social services for women in sex work.Proposal text:

Background:
In the past five years, Colombia has received an influx of migrants with the political and economic crisis in Venezuela. While Colombia has accepted over one million individuals, many displaced individuals find their situations challenging to provide for themselves and their families; for this reason, many women have turned to sex work as a source of income (Ramsey & Sánchez-Garzoli, 2018). In Colombia, sex work is legal, yet it is unregulated, and much stigma persists, which limits access to formal social services (Doocy et al., 2019). In addition, the Covid-19 pandemic has brought additional challenges to both migrants and women involved in sex work (Kimani et al., 2020). This research examines the impact of the access to human rights of both migrant and domestic women involved in sex work during the Covid-19 pandemic in Cúcuta, Colombia.

Methods:
To conduct this study, 22 in-depth interviews were conducted with women involved in sex work: 12 Venezuelan and 10 Colombian in Cúcuta, Colombia. Interviews were conducted from June to July 2021 in Spanish and were audio-recorded with the consent of each participant. Participants ranged in age from 18-59 years (m=33.1), and all interviews were conducted in the neighborhood of the workplaces of the individuals. Interviews were transcribed and translated to English and input into NVivo for thematic review.

Results:
Through thematic analysis, three themes emerged involving human rights during the Covid-19 pandemic. The first theme consisted of the participants needing to work in unsafe conditions. Without regulations and the ability to obtain access to supplemental income, the women did not have the option to quarantine during high-peak times. With a decrease in clients, women were forced to leave their workplaces in bars and work in the streets, with higher risks of violence and less physical protection. Secondly, the participants struggled with obtaining access to basic necessities such as food and paying for housing. The participants discussed the challenges of paying for groceries and stated their diets consisted of limited nutrition. Participants also discussed the conflict of choosing to pay for food for their children or to pay for rent. Thirdly, the participants shared their struggle with obtaining access to health care for both themselves and their children. Participants shared their only access to a doctor was through the emergency room; however, many avoided this because of the high costs.

Discussion:
Overall, findings indicate several human rights concerns with women involved in sex work in Colombia. Findings from this study will be used to work with the community and provide greater access to formal social services for women in sex work. This research is critical for social workers to understand the complexities of migration and the dynamics involved in women with children who have limited resources. Future social workers need to understand the cultural structures that impact the dignity of women and the policies and practices that assist or hinder women from receiving services and ensuring equity in society.