Sheffield Street Sex Workers

This research project has been born from an interest in the healthcare experiences of street sex workers. During my third year of Medical School, I undertook a three week placement with the charity SWWOP - Sheffield Working Women’s Opportunities Project. SWWOP are a charity which offer support, care and safety to street sex workers in Sheffield. Areas of support include the drop in office, an outreach van, a housing link worker and a substance use worker. My placement with SWWOP highlighted some stark injustices in access for this vulnerable group, which led me to undertake an intercalated year (out of Medical school) to research further.

The project will be focused around experiences of contraception for street sex workers, as well as inequalities surrounding their access to primary healthcare. From my research, I am hoping to improve awareness about this issue within Primary Care, encourage trauma-informed care and subsequently improve experiences for vulnerable women involved in street prostitution.