The Hands Off Model
The Hands Off model, involving three key intervention strategies, has proven to contribute to a reduction in violence, an empowered sex worker movement and greater accessibility and uptake of services by sex workers. Only if the following three interventions are implemented simultaneously, violence against sex workers can be reduced:
- involve the police in the HIV response and make them an ally
- bring perpetrators to justice and employ emergency response for survivors of violence
- build a sex worker movement with strong awareness of its rights
What works to reduce violence against sex workers – Best practices
An independent study shows that where the Hands Off model has been implemented, working on social and structural determinants of HIV has worked and violence has reduced.
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About the Hands Off programme
Hands Off actively collaborates with sex worker-led organisations, religious leaders, law enforcement, service providers and NGOs dedicated to human rights in efforts to reduce violence against sex workers. Based on sex workers’ own priorities and needs, activities include rights literacy training and capacity strengthening of sex worker movements, strengthening emergency response systems and roll out of national, regional and global lobby for law and policy reform.
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