PREVICT-SW: Protocol for a Quasi-Experimental Participatory Study to Prevent Violence Against Sex Workers.

Abstract

Background: Sex workers experience disproportionately high levels of victimization, specifically violent and property-related offenses. However, victimological theory and empirically tested prevention strategies tailored to this population remain limited. While traditional frameworks, such as lifestyle and routine activity theories, provide population-level explanations, they insufficiently capture the structural, situational, and cumulative risks faced by highly vulnerable groups.

Methods: This study presents the protocol for a mixed-methods, longitudinal quasi-experiment conducted in the Swiss cantons of Fribourg and Neuchâtel, where no targeted victimization prevention programs for sex workers exist at time of implementation. The project pursues two objectives: first, to identify risk factors and victimization trajectories in order to refine victimological theory; and second, to evaluate the effectiveness of a tailored, needs-based prevention program. Co-developed with sex workers and stakeholders, the intervention integrates a multi-level approach based on sensitization, crime prevention, legal education, and psychosocial support.By combining longitudinal and quasi-experimental methods, the study aims to advance victimological theory and provide critical evidence to inform practice, policy, and scalable prevention efforts.