Ho Chi Minh City: Building models to support and help sex workers

In recent times, Ho Chi Minh City has always maintained and improved the effectiveness of pilot models on supporting and helping sex workers integrate into the community. Sex workers participating in the model are introduced, referred, and have access to legal and psychological counseling services, health care, cultural education, vocational training, job creation, and loan support associated with local social security programs, helping them stabilize their lives and integrate into the community in a sustainable way.

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Improve the effectiveness of communication, propaganda, dissemination andeducation on prostitution prevention and control.

The work of preventing and combating prostitution has always been directed and implemented continuously and resolutely by the City Party Committee, the City People's Committee, departments, branches, unions, the People's Committee of Thu Duc City, districts and towns, and has been concretized by directives, resolutions and implementation plans of all levels of government from the City to the grassroots level, thus promoting the combined strength of the entire political system, creating a change in awareness of cadres working on preventing and combating social evils and people, contributing to stabilizing the security, political situation and social order and safety.

Taking prevention as the focus in the work of preventing and combating prostitution; combining prevention and combating prostitution with prevention and combating drug abuse and HIV/AIDS infection. In addition, promoting the proactiveness and responsibility of the government and grassroots organizations in the work of preventing and combating prostitution...

The Department of Social Evils Prevention of Ho Chi Minh City organizes propaganda and dissemination of laws on prostitution prevention and control for districts.

According to the assessment of professional agencies, prostitution in public places in the city has decreased in most localities. Propaganda and education on prostitution prevention and control have been maintained and implemented in many diverse forms, with rich content, suitable for each group and each subject in residential areas, combined with administrative measures to deter, educate and prevent, thereby creating a change in awareness for officials working on social evil prevention and control, people and high-risk groups, contributing to preventing and limiting the occurrence of prostitution in public places and service businesses.

Ho Chi Minh City: Propaganda, dissemination and education on prostitution prevention and control

At the same time, organize propaganda and mobilize owners of service business establishments to raise awareness and responsibility towards employees working at the establishments and sign a commitment with the People's Committees of wards, communes and towns to not allow prostitution and obscene and sexually stimulating acts to occur at business establishments.

In the coming time, Ho Chi Minh City will continue to develop and organize communication on the Party's guidelines and policies and the State's laws on prostitution prevention and control; reduce stigma and discrimination against sex workers in the community.

Strengthen propaganda on prevention and control to the whole society, focusing on subjects such as high school students, university and vocational training institutions, workers in industrial parks, export processing zones, unemployed workers, migrant workers, employees at service businesses that are vulnerable to prostitution, border areas between provinces, cities and localities to limit the number of new people participating in prostitution.

Develop a set of communication tools, specialized pages and columns on prostitution prevention and control, civilized lifestyle, healthy and safe sexual behavior for all subjects in society, columns, skits, reports, articles and increase broadcasting time, reporting on prostitution and HIV/AIDS infection on media, newspapers, social networks, and the internet.

Strengthen propaganda and prevention to the whole society.

Innovate the methods and content of communication work in a lively way to attract young people, through the application of information and communication technology, via the internet and social networks; direct communication forms in the community, with high interaction in industrial parks, export processing zones, schools, service businesses that are prone to prostitution, etc. Organize to commend, honor and reward groups and individuals who have made many contributions to the work of preventing and combating prostitution according to current regulations.

At the same time, continue to promote the implementation of prostitution prevention activities through integrating relevant programs at the grassroots level. Conduct surveys on the needs for access to social services of sex workers and workers working at service establishments that are prone to prostitution to serve as a basis for advising and proposing policies and solutions to support them in accessing social services, gradually changing their behavior to integrate into the community.

Develop integrated activities for groups of people seeking employment in vocational training, job search, loan support, and poverty reduction programs to provide them with opportunities to choose suitable jobs.

Improve the capacity, effectiveness and efficiency of State management in preventing and combating prostitution; mobilize all resources and participation of agencies, units, organizations, individuals and communities in activities to prevent and combat prostitution; integrate activities to prevent and combat prostitution with programs for socio-economic development, poverty reduction, vocational training, job placement, livelihood creation, harm reduction support and other support for sex workers to integrate into the community.

Building support models to help sex workers

Develop and implement intervention activities to reduce harm, prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS, prevent and reduce gender-based violence in the fight against prostitution, and develop pilot models to support and help sex workers access social services to gradually change their behavior and integrate into the community.

Promote propaganda and dissemination of the Party and State's policies on prostitution prevention and control to all social classes.

From 2021 to present, the model's activities have only been maintained in the form of communicating legal documents related to prostitution prevention and control and providing guidance on preventing sexually transmitted diseases, referring sex workers and people at risk of prostitution to harm reduction intervention services as needed. The counseling and support activities of the Club for supporting sex workers and people at risk of prostitution are mainly maintained through Zalo and Messenger channels.

With the communication and harm reduction intervention program for sex workers; in the first 6 months of 2023, community outreach workers, collaborators, community-based organizations, etc. of the Anh Duong Social Work Center (under the City Women's Union) and Clubs supporting sex workers and people at risk of prostitution, reaching out to units providing harm reduction intervention services, have approached and supported 774 sex workers and attendants at "Sensitive" service establishments to access harm reduction intervention services.

In the coming time, Ho Chi Minh City strives for 100% of sex workers in need to access and use appropriate social support services; maintain and improve the effectiveness of pilot models on support work, helping sex workers integrate into the community, sex workers participating in the model are introduced, referred, and have access to services on legal-psychological counseling, health care, cultural education, vocational training, job creation and loan support associated with local social security programs, helping them stabilize their lives and integrate into the community sustainably.

At the same time, promote propaganda and dissemination of the Party and State's policies on prostitution prevention and control to all classes of people in society, focusing on high-risk groups such as students, unemployed workers, migrant workers, migrant workers and employees at business and service establishments that are vulnerable to prostitution in various forms and with rich content suitable for each group to raise awareness of the harmful effects of prostitution, reduce stigma and discrimination in the community and the spread of HIV/AIDS.

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