Objective:

To analyze the perception of risk among cisgender and transgender Venezuelan immigrant men and women who offer sexual services in Colombia, with the purpose of identifying the factors that influence their ability to detect and respond to situations of potential harm in the context of transactional sex.

Methods:

Mixed research was conducted with an interpretative approach, and semi-structured interviews were used as a research technique.

Results:

A total of 55 sex workers were interviewed in Bogotá D.C., the Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley, and the Colombian coffee-growing region, 69 % of whom were male at birth and 31 % were female. Regarding gender identity, 60 % self-identified as cisgender men, 31 % as cisgender women, and the remaining 9 % as transgender women. The average age of the participants was 27 years.

Discussion:

Regarding immigration status, 69 % of the sex workers interviewed were in the country illegally. Three types of risk were identified-biological, psychological, and social-which are interconnected and create situations of vulnerability in sex workers. Additionally, the need for an intersectional analysis that considers the factors increasing sex workers' vulnerability to HIV, sexually transmitted infections, violence, and gender-based violence-such as sexual orientation, gender identity, age, and migratory status-became evident.

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