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Sex workers face significant barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, including abortion care, particularly in contexts of high criminalization and stigma (IPPF, 2025). Legal and policy restrictions on abortion care as well as stigma on abortion further compounds access to abortion care for sex workers. These barriers operate across multiple levels—individual, community, health system, and policy. 

 

IPPF is looking to hire a consultant to develop a comprehensive research protocol, data collection tools, and research plan for a formative research study to understand barriers and facilitators to SRH services especially comprehensive abortion care among sex workers in settings with varying levels of criminalization and stigmatization. The qualitative study is expected to incorporate relevant implementation research methodologies to systematically assess barriers and facilitators as well as the socio-ecological model to understand clients’ access to comprehensive abortion care and generate recommendations for improving care. 

 

1.     Conduct a rapid literature review of abortion access and healthcare among sex workers.

2.     Design a protocol incorporating formative analysis domains and socio-ecological levels (individual, interpersonal, community, institutional, policy) for a formative research study.

3.     Develop data collection tools aligned with these frameworks.

4.     Prepare a research plan detailing sampling, recruitment strategies, and analysis. 

5.     Ensure compliance with ethical standards, including considerations for vulnerable populations and confidentiality.

6.     Adapt the research protocol for submission to national and/or international ethics review committees as identified by IPPF Member Associations and partners including supporting the preparation of required documentation.

7.     Facilitate review of the protocol and tools with IPPF Member Associations and community partners and integrate feedback into final deliverables.

1.     Conduct a rapid literature review of abortion access and healthcare among sex workers, compiling key references and findings.

2.     Draft and final research protocols (objectives, methodology, ethical considerations).

3.     Data collection tools (interview guides, consent forms, data collection instructions and tools to facilitate training of data collectors).

4.     Research plan with timeline, sampling strategy, and analysis framework.

5.     Research ethics submission package (protocol adapted for ethics review/IRB requirements).

6.     Brief presentation including PowerPoint slides of protocol and tools to be used by Member Associations, IPPF and community partners.

7.     Tools to facilitate qualitative data analysis to support Member Associations to generate quick findings from the data collected.

 

·       Advanced degree in public health, social sciences, or related field.

·       Proven experience, including publication of peer-reviewed research studies, in clinical and health research and SRH studies.

·       Familiarity with formative research, implementation research methodologies, socio-ecological model, and qualitative research tool development, implementation and analysis.

·       Experience preparing ethics review submissions (nationally and internationally)

·       Experience living in and working in Middle- and Low-Income Countries (LMICs) and working with sex workers and/or from the sex workers community.

·       An intersectional (pro) feminist dedicated to sexual reproductive health care rights and justice, including safe abortion. 

·       Supportive of people’s rights regardless of sexuality or gender identity/expression and supportive of worker’s rights and access to health care in sex work.