January 28, 2016
On the Border: Tapachula’s Migrant Sex Workers
Doctors of the World has worked in Mexico since 1998, providing access to healthcare for vulnerable communities across the country
1,742
Women supported
52,256
Condoms distributed
28
Health promoters trained
Approximately 40,000 Central Americans migrate to Mexico every year
Our work focuses on protecting the rights of migrants and refugees in Mexico and providing sexual and reproductive healthcare to sex workers in the southern border state of Chiapas.
Many women who immigrate to Mexico from countries such as Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras turn to sex work in order to make a living – often operating out of bars and clubs. However, since 2014, increasingly restrictive legislation has made their situation extremely precarious and their access to sexual and reproductive care is severely limited.
In the towns of Tapachula and Huixtla, our healthcare teams have formed a network of 28 female health promoters who cover 19 zones where sex workers are known to be active. They distribute contraceptives, administer free STI testing, and provide health information when needed.
In addition to our work in the street, we also helped to form the Migrant and Mexican Women’s Association Against Violence (AMMACV). The first association of female migrant sex workers in Mexico, the AMMACV aims to promote female migrant workers rights with Mexican health authorities, anti-trafficking bodies and the government’s immigration department.
Since 2018, our teams have also been actively responding to the huge influx of Central American refugees and migrants from countries such as Honduras and El Salvador known as the “Migrant Caravan”. The vast majority are escaping endemic violence and extreme poverty, or being forced from their homes by climate-change related disasters such as floods and droughts. Many are hoping seek asylum in the United States in the hope of building a better future for themselves and their families.
Due to the arduous conditions of the journey, many are in need of immediate access to healthcare. Doctors of the World has been supporting the Mexican health authorities in Tapachula to cope with the influx of people. Learn more about the current situation here.