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Open research questions in Sex work and related issues

420 gap statements mined from Sex work and related issues papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 4,417 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • The existing literature has not reliably quantified the psychiatric burden of human trafficking for sexual exploitation. There is a lack of studies examining structural and sociopolitical determinants of survivors' mental health burden. The impact of deportation risk, detention, return-migration policies, or labour-market precarity on psychological outcomes remains unmeasured.

    Mental health burden among survivors of sexual-exploitation trafficking: a global systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression · 2026 · DOI

  • The current monitoring approaches may not be rapid, affordable, and sufficiently robust to capture programme outcomes. There is a need for a monitoring approach that can meaningfully involve communities. The paper identifies a gap in the current methods for assessing programme outcomes among key populations.

    Expanded polling booth surveys monitor HIV programme outcomes among female sex workers and men who have sex with men in Nairobi, Kenya · 2026 · DOI

  • Substance use can shape engagement with HIV prevention services among migrant sex workers, yet little is known about its influence on HIV testing behaviors in European contexts.

    Substance Use is Linked to Less Facility-Based but Greater Self-HIV Testing Willingness Among African Refugee Male Sex Workers in Italy: A Cross-Sectional Study · 2026 · DOI

  • Transactional sex is an under-researched phenomenon among Black Americans who misuse opioids, and may increase their risk of STI or HIV transmission.

    Correlates of Transactional Sex Among Black Men and Women Who Misuse Opioids · 2024 · DOI

  • HIV-related stigma, lack of appropriate information, and issues regarding eligibility are key barriers to PrEP uptake among sex workers. The criminalization of sex work exacerbates adverse health outcomes by reinforcing SWs' reluctance to seek care and assert their rights.

    Barriers and Enabling Factors for Taking PrEP: The Lived Perspectives of Female, Male and Transgender Sex Workers in Thailand · 2026 · DOI

  • The need to identify key barriers and enabling factors for PrEP uptake among sex workers.

    Barriers and Enabling Factors for Taking PrEP: The Lived Perspectives of Female, Male and Transgender Sex Workers in Thailand · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a gap in providing consistent clinical application of best practices. HT training alone may be insufficient for addressing this gap.

    Addressing human trafficking in health care settings · 2026 · DOI

  • The study highlights the need for a multidisciplinary approach to understanding the complexity of human trafficking.

    Psychosocial Counseling for Human Trafficking in Palangka Raya · 2026 · DOI

  • The study highlights the challenges of addressing social pathology and the need for multidimensional approaches. The study notes the limitations of the single-case design. The study emphasizes the importance of integrating CBT with socioeconomic support and family psychoeducation.

    The Role of Cognitive Behavior Therapy in Intervention Management to Overcome Social Pathology in Commercial Sex Workers · 2026 · DOI

  • Future studies can build on the study's findings to develop more effective interventions for CSW populations. Future research can explore the applicability of the study's findings to other populations and contexts.

    The Role of Cognitive Behavior Therapy in Intervention Management to Overcome Social Pathology in Commercial Sex Workers · 2026 · DOI

  • Second, given that conceptual frameworks for technology-facilitated CSEA are still emerging and considering the lack of standardization in how such harms are measured and categorized19, we analysed each reported type of sexual harm (that occurred on social media or in an online game) separately.

    Technology mediation in child sexual exploitation and abuse in Africa and Asia · 2026 · DOI

  • Examination of this understudied group of MSS may serve to inform criminal justice professionals in the effort to decrease the demand of illegal sex solicitation.

    The Other Side of the Sex Work Equation: A Scoping Review of What We Know About Men Who Solicit Sex in the United States · 2026 · DOI

  • Given limited evidence regarding sex workers’ use of overdose prevention tools, including take-home naloxone (THN), we examined period prevalence, time trends, and structural factors longitudinally associated with THN ownership among sex workers over 7 years.

    Take-home naloxone (THN) ownership among a community-based cohort of sex workers who use drugs in metro vancouver: longitudinal trends and structural determinants (2017–2024) · 2026 · DOI

  • The regulation of prostitution is a complex and controversial topic, - The paper highlights the need for a nuanced and multifaceted approach to addressing prostitution, - The findings of the paper can inform policymakers in their efforts to regulate prostitution.

    Review of the Regulation of Prostitution in Sweden, Germany and Slovenia With Reference to the Croatian Solution · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a lack of understanding of the effectiveness of different approaches to regulating prostitution, - The paper aims to fill this gap by reviewing the regulation of prostitution in Sweden, Germany, and Slovenia.

    Review of the Regulation of Prostitution in Sweden, Germany and Slovenia With Reference to the Croatian Solution · 2026 · DOI

  • The study highlights the complexity of family relationships and the need for nuanced approaches to supporting treatment success.

    Characteristics, Experiences, and Perceptions of Family Members of Sex Trafficking Specialty Court Participants: An Exploratory Qualitative Inquiry · 2026 · DOI

  • The study suggests that future research should consider the experiences of women, especially those facing additional forms of disadvantage. The authors propose that anti-work theories can offer a different perspective on labour. The study highlights the importance of continued analysis of the discourse of prostitution and sex work.

    Prostitutes and Social Parasitism: Sex Work during the Transition from State Socialism to Capitalism · 2026 · DOI

  • The authors highlight the need to reconsider the dominant discourse on prostitution and sex work.

    Prostitutes and Social Parasitism: Sex Work during the Transition from State Socialism to Capitalism · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research should explore the implementation of the Decent Regulation model. Studies should investigate the impact of criminalization on sex workers' lives. Research should examine the effectiveness of targeted interventions to support sex workers.

    Criminalizing Survival: The Policy Contradictions and Lived Realities of Sex Workers in Zimbabwe · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research could examine the impact of the normalizing decree on the lives of prostitutes in Warsaw. Further study could investigate the relationship between prostitution and other social problems in Warsaw during the Prussian period.

    “Publicandum against the Seduction of Young Girls to Brothels” as an Example of Prussian Regulation of Prostitution in Warsaw, 1796–1806 · 2026 · DOI

  • Drawing from Longwe’s framework and the study findings, the following social work and policy recommendations are proposed: Integrate female scrap collectors into local development planning through the formal recognition of their labour, provision of PPE, and designated safe workspaces. Facilitate collective organisation, such as cooperatives or support networks, to enable participation, advocacy, and peer-led change.

    “He left us in the dark forest and unloaded us off the truck”: Work and health related vulnerabilities of female scrap collectors in rural Eastern Cape and the implications for women’s rights · 2026 · DOI

  • Earnings remain below poverty levels. Stigma compounds barriers to healthcare and justice.

    Criminalizing Survival: The Policy Contradictions and Lived Realities of Sex Workers in Zimbabwe · 2026 · DOI

  • Several research groups published multiple analyses of the same primary dataset, - Four included reports derive from a single parent study, - The combined contribution to each pooled estimate is not fully quantified, - No study quantified the impact of deportation risk, detention, return-migration policies, or labour-market precarity on psychological…

    Mental health burden among survivors of sexual-exploitation trafficking: a global systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression · 2026 · DOI

  • The sample size was limited, - The study was not powered to detect associations for sexual and reproductive health outcomes, - Analyses were restricted to descriptive…

    Sexual and reproductive health of women living on illegal gold mining sites in French Guiana: a multicentric cross-sectional survey · 2026 · DOI

  • The study used a cross-sectional design, - The study had a limited sample size, - The study only reported findings from the PBS and BBS…

    Expanded polling booth surveys monitor HIV programme outcomes among female sex workers and men who have sex with men in Nairobi, Kenya · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Sex work and related issues

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) There is a lack of studies examining structural and sociopolitical determinants of survivors' mental health burden (“Mental health burden among survivors of sexual-exploitation trafficking: a…”, 2026); (2) There is a need for a monitoring approach that can meaningfully involve communities (“Expanded polling booth surveys monitor HIV programme outcomes among female sex…”, 2026); (3) Substance use can shape engagement with HIV prevention services among migrant sex workers, yet little is known about its influence on HIV testing behaviors in European contexts (“Substance Use is Linked to Less Facility-Based but Greater Self-HIV Testing…”, 2026); (4) HIV-related stigma, lack of appropriate information, and issues regarding eligibility are key barriers to PrEP uptake among sex workers (“Barriers and Enabling Factors for Taking PrEP: The Lived Perspectives of…”, 2026); (5) Future studies can build on the study's findings to develop more effective interventions for CSW populations (“The Role of Cognitive Behavior Therapy in Intervention Management to Overcome…”, 2026). 420 gap statements have been mined from Sex work and related issues papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 4,417 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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