Cops & Rubbers

"In countries around the world...police carry out legal and illegal searches of sex workers and confiscate or destroy condoms found in their possession. In many cases, possession of condoms has been used by prosecutors as evidence of prostitution. Treating condoms as contraband forces sex workers to choose between safeguarding their health and avoiding police harassment or arrest."

This interactive board game for health and human rights advocates, health practitioners, academics, and policymakers demonstrates the real consequences of these policing tactics for sex workers - including increased vulnerability to HIV infection. Created in 2012 for the Open Society Public Health Program, this game is based on the Open Society Foundations' 2012 report Criminalizing Condoms: How Policing Practices Put Sex Workers and HIV Services at Risk [See Related Summaries, below]. The report draws from research conducted Kenya, Namibia, Russia, South Africa, the United States, and Zimbabwe.

The game can be played as a 45-60 minute structured session, or it can be a more casual and less structured activity that takes about 10 minutes, for example, in a space where people only stop by to play for a short period of time (e.g., at a conference). One player might receive a card that reads "The outreach worker arrives and passes out condoms. She asks whether you've heard of a new sex worker-led organization which has formed to mobilize the sex worker community and advocate for sex workers' human rights. She gives you some information about the group and invites you to join." All players have the same two goals: (1) to stay infection free and (2) to earn US$25 dollars.