HIV criminalization reform has focused on laws criminalizing non-disclosure of a person’s positive HIV status prior to consensual sex. Available data, while limited, indicates that sex workers living with HIV are disproportionately affected by HIV criminal laws; often, this occurs through criminal law provisions that increase sentences for sex workers living with HIV.
Despite this, the movement for HIV criminal law reform has yet to meaningfully engage in advocacy for sex work decriminalization. This toolkit highlights the connections between sex work and HIV decriminalization advocacy, and outlines ways to improve collaboration that strengthen our efforts to change these laws.