Community leadership is key to effective HIV service engagement for female sex workers in Africa

Although overall HIV incidence has declined across sub-Saharan Africa since 2010, HIV incidence among female sex workers is nine times higher than among cisgender women [1]. Young women who sell sex are particularly vulnerable. Women who sell sex do so in the context of discrimination and intense stigma, exacerbated by the criminalization of sex work [2]. Despite impressive population-level gains in treatment cascade engagement, antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage and rates of viral suppression have remained lower among African female sex workers than in the general population [3]. Addressing female sex workers’ specific HIV prevention and treatment needs remains central to a comprehensive HIV response and remains one of UNAIDS central pillars for “ending AIDS by 2030.”