We examine the impact of criminalizing sex work, exploiting an event in which local officials unexpectedly criminalized sex work in one district in East Java, Indonesia, but not in neighboring districts. We collect data from female sex workers and their clients before and after the change. We find that criminalization increases sexually transmitted infections among female sex workers by 58 percent, measured by biological tests. This is driven by decreased condom access and use. We also find evidence that criminalization decreases earnings among women who left sex work due to criminalization and decreases their ability to meet their children’s school expenses while increasing the likelihood that children begin working to supplement household income. Although criminalization has the potential to improve population STI outcomes if the market shrinks permanently, we show that five years postcriminalization the market has rebounded and the probability of STI transmission in the general population is likely to have increased.

Adolescents in Sub-Saharan Africa face high rates of intimate partner violence (IPV). This paper evaluates the impact of offering adolescent females a goal-setting inter- vention to improve sexual and reproductive health and offering their male partners a soccer-based intervention, which educates and inspires young men to make better sexual and reproductive health choices. Both interventions significantly reduce female reports of IPV. The soccer intervention improves male attitudes around violence and risky sexual behaviors. Females in the goal setting arm take control of their sexual and reproductive health by exiting violent relationships. Both mechanisms drive reductions in IPV.