Grant: Master's Award - HIV/AIDS Community-Based Research: General Stream

In Canada, failure to disclose one's positive HIV-status before sexual activity constitutes a crime under certain circumstances. While the Canadian Supreme Court's decisions in October, 2012, offer some clarity on the conditions/practices that might prevent persons living with HIV from criminal prosecution (i.e., low viral load an use of condom), there remains no failsafe way to prove these criteria were met. Research is urgently needed on the extent to which current HIV-disclosure legislation may be undermining the protective health and health-seeking behaviours (e.g., HIV/STI testing and treatment) of sex workers, an historically vulnerable population for HIV-infection. Therefore, the fundamental aim of this study is to understand how HIV-disclosure legislation is impacting the health of sex workers and use this information to respond to their needs through informed policy, education for sex worker' health service providers, and accessible health/legal risk information for sex workers. Specifically, this study aims to determine: (1) The extent to which the recent court rulings have shaped sex workers' willingness to seek HIV-testing; (2) The implications for relationships of trust between sex workers and their support/service providers when discussing potentially criminal sexual practices; (3) How sex workers characterize the potential risk factors and legal implications of an HIV+ status when using a condom and/or with viral load below detectable levels; and (4) The extent to which sex workers are concerned that knowing and/or disclosing their HIV-status may result in violence, stigma, and/or future criminal charges. The proposed study will use a theoretical sampling strategy to recruit HIV+/-, male/female sex workers (n=16) for semi-structured, in-depth interviews, with a focus on persons with additional vulnerabilities such as Aboriginals, gay/bisexual men, and those with substance dependencies.