An editor for one of the world's most renowned medical journals, the Lancet, has released a statement suggesting that steps must be taken to have prostitution decriminalized on a large-scale in order to protect the health of sex workers across the globe. He says this is a crucial step with "no alternative" if the society wants the risks of HIV and other communicable diseases decreased. At present, the men and women who are involved in the sex trade are one of the leading causes for the spread of many communicable diseases.
Experts are optimistic that the epidemic that has been brought about by the proliferation of HIV/AIDS cases can come to an end by the year 2030. Concerns are still high, however, that the virus might still endure among high-risk groups. Statistically, sex workers are one of the groups with the highest risk for HIV and a number of other sexually transmitted diseases. In some parts of the world, there are more than 50% of men and women who are in the sex trade that are living with HIV. The appeal to global leaders to decriminalize sex work comes in light of an international awareness that decriminalizing sex work is one step closer to removing the barriers that these men and women are having towards proper healthcare. In keeping with the International AIDS Conference in Melbourne this year, the Lancet journal has published results from a new research series containing evidence suggesting that sex workers are facing "substantial barriers in accessing prevention, treatment, and care services… because of stigma, discrimination, and a criminalization." They also added that it is about time that the world accepted this industry to be a "part of the human story."
In an official statement, editor-in-chief Richard Horton and editor Pamela Das said that, "Accepting and embracing sex work-supporting those engaged in sex work to protect their health and bodily integrity and autonomy-should be our humane, as well as our pragmatic approach to the reality of our human lives, and to our common efforts to defeat a AIDS."