Journal article
Estimating the number of unlicensed brothels operating in Melbourne
MY Chen, B Donovan, C Harcourt, A Morton, L Moss, S Wallis, K Cook, D Batras, J Groves, SN Tabrizi, S Garland, CK Fairley
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health | Published : 2010
Abstract
Objective: To estimate the number of unlicensed brothels operating in Melbourne, Australia, and the sexual health of the women working in them. Methods: Advertisements from Melbourne newspapers published in July 2006 were systematically analysed based on the language used to identify premises likely to be unlicensed brothels. A visit was made to each of the businesses where an address was available. Participating sex workers were tested for Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis. Mycoplasma genitalium and Trichomonas vaginalis using self-collected tampons and polymerase chain reaction. Results: There were 438 advertisements collated, representing 174 separate establishments. Of these, ..
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Awarded by National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Acknowledgements
We wish to thank the following people: women who took part in the study; staff from Resourcing Health and Education in the Sex Industry of the Inner South Community Health Service - Sharon O'Reilly, Gabby Skelsey, Sandra Gibson, Julie Futol; Sandra Egger for advice on sex work and the law; and Handan Wand for assistance with the analysis. This study was supported by a Public Health Research Project Grant from the Victorian Department of Human Services and the National Health and Medical Research Council (Project grant 352437). MC was supported by NHMRC Fellowship 400399. The National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research is funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing and is affiliated with Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales.