Generational Sex Work and HIV risk among Indigenous Women in a Street-based Urban Canadian Setting

This article aims to address the scarcity of data concerning Aboriginal women and their risk of contracting HIV, and the gap in public policy and research that fails to account for Indigenous women's pathways into sex work. The statistical research presented in the article examines the experiences of Aboriginal women in Vancouver, BC, Canada in regards to generational sex work involvement, and the independent effect this involvement has on the risk of contracting HIV. The results presented in the article, which indicate that HIV prevalence is higher in Aboriginal women and that Aboriginal women are more likely to experience generational sex work involvement, demonstrate the urgent need for policy change and recognition by Indigenous leaders, governments, and HIV prevention and human rights experts of the particular vulnerabilities Aboriginal women face.