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Presented by Dimitri Batras, Research Manager, Department of Health Social Science, Monash University, Melbourne.

Using the classifieds to equitably target the delivery of sexual health services and health

promotion initiatives.

Shining a RhED light: the 2011 Health and Sex Work Research Symposium, May 25 th.

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Purpose of this presentation

• To promote equity in health,• To discuss research methods that could

assist with target marketing for health,• To stimulate discussion amongst

stakeholders about policy and program options,

• Wish list: To motivate an organisation to ‘pilot’ these methods for equitably reaching sex workers.

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Context

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Context continued

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Themes

• Legislative breaches (local, state, federal and international).

• Ideologies and values: contentious and emotive.

• Human right to health and safety.• Segments of the community at greater risk.

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Key questions

• What can we learn by monitoring and understanding the classifieds?

• Can we systematically locate and target initiatives and services for ‘hard to reach’ and ‘vulnerable’ sex workers?

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Reading the classifieds

Source: City Weekly, 28 April 2011

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Reading the classifieds continued

Source: The Leader (Port Phillip),

3 May 2011

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Interpreting the classifieds

• Legislation.• Content and discourse analysis.• Language, imagery and, meaning.• Reading between the lines.• Gathering data and building a profile over

time.• Read multiple publications to gain the full

picture.

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Interpreting the classifies continued

EXAMPLE

Same massage business:

Publication number 1

- Business name,

- Tag line mentions relaxation and hands,

- Contact details and location.

Publication number 2

- Business name,

- Tag line mentions female therapists,

- Contact details and location.

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Key questions

• Can public health turn a blind eye on illegal brothels to provide a basic human right?

• Could legal brothels become well recognised settings for health promotion? Illegal ones too???

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Policy and program options

• Settings based health promotion. • Build on local and inter-state examples of

sexual health service delivery. • Consider trialling new ways of targeting and

reaching sex workers in need.• Scrutinise your proposed methods in

partnership and consider tools such as EfHIA.

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Relevant journal articles

Chen, M. Y., Donovan, B., Harcourt, C., Morton, A., Moss, L., Wallis, S., Cook, K., Batras, D., Groves, J., Tabrizi, S. N., Garland, S. and Fairley, C. K. (2010), Estimating the number of unlicensed brothels operating in Melbourne. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 34: 67–71.

Harcourt, C., O'Connor, J., Egger, S., Fairley, C. K., Wand, H., Chen, M. Y., Marshall, L., Kaldor, J. M. and Donovan, B. (2010), The decriminalisation of prostitution is associated with better coverage of health promotion programs for sex workers. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 34: 482–486.

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Thank you!

Contact details;

Dimitri Batras

Research Manager and PhD candidate

Department of Health Social Science,

Monash University (Caulfield Campus)

Tel: (03) 9903 1669

Email: dimitri.batras@monash.edu