From recognising health rights to realising labour protections? Sex work, ILOAIDS and the Decent Work Agenda in Ghana

This paper examines recent evolutions in global development policy that link decent work, HIV and sex work—particularly through the ILO Programme on HIV/AIDS World of Work—and considers implications for migrant workers Ghana. Drawing original primary data gathered 2020, namely interviews with grassroots NGOs based Accra, explores conditions barriers to expanding rights-based sexual health frameworks include promotion protection workers’ labour rights. The finds civil society actors face multiple frameworks, which Ghana’s prevailing socio-legal regime prohibition stigmatisation, overwhelming focus funding HIV, failure existing efforts address political–economic determinants women’s experiences exploitation sector. Theoretically, contributes interdisciplinary literatures commercial sex, gender, migration, by advancing a feminist political economy analysis constraints opportunities seeking advance rights within beyond health.