Economic inequality is associated with HIV

Although no person should be obliged to enter into sex work as a result of insecurity,
poverty, or coercion90, the majority of people who engage in sex work have few other
economic options91. Strategies that expand educational, economic and social opportunities,
especially for women and girls, represent an urgent necessity. Economic inequality is associated
with HIV risk92, and laws and policies that empower women to own property and
access schooling reduce that risk. Programmes are needed to address harmful employment
practices and to extend access to skills, credit and jobs. The United Nations has endorsed
the concept of ‘decent work’ as a vital path out of poverty93. Decent work sums up the
aspirations of people in their working lives—for opportunity and income; rights, voice and
recognition; family stability and personal development; and fairness and gender equality.94
Governments should prioritize strategies to create local employment opportunities for
women and girls. Focused programmes should be immediately developed in areas where
recruitment into sex work is active. In devising and implementing such strategies, policymakers
and programme planners should heed evidence of the effectiveness of initiatives
that provide livelihood skills, vocational training, local job creation and microfinance
to girls and young women95. Providing women and girls with opportunities for greater
ownership and control over economic assets empowers them to make their own choices