APIS Centres
APIS places the health of sex workers at the heart of its work. APIS centres operate in an inclusive and accessible manner, based on an approach of acceptance, confidentiality and reliability. The relationship with the target groups is professional and non-judgemental. The aim is to ensure equal access to healthcare.
APIS centres…
- promote sexual health, in particular through the prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
- thereby make a significant contribution to public health and to strengthening individuals’ health literacy.
- ensure low-cost access to healthcare services and facilitate networking and referral to other support services.
- ensure that target groups have access, according to their needs, to medical, legal and psychosocial care.
- are committed to combating stigma and strengthening the self-determination and individual agency of sex workers.
- create an environment based on respect, acceptance and empowerment.
The APIS Minimum Standards
The APIS Minimum Standards aim to establish a framework to ensure effective, high-quality HIV/STI prevention for sex workers. The objective is to provide professional guidance and promote the continuous improvement of services.
- They set out binding working principles to ensure professional, respectful and effective prevention.
- They specify which services are mandatory and which may be offered on an optional basis – depending on regional needs and the resources available at APIS centres.
- They set out the principles of quality assurance, which ensure that services are delivered in a well-founded, non-discriminatory manner and in line with needs.
- They aim to highlight the quality and professionalism of HIV/STI prevention.
- They enable APIS centres to demonstrate their quality to stakeholders such as donors, authorities and policy-makers.
- They create a framework for the long-term governance of APIS work and establish self-assessment as a tool for monitoring and continuous improvement.
You can find the APIS minimum standards here. On this basis, Swiss AIDS Aid awards the APIS quality label.
APIS centres 2026–2029:
- Aids-Hilfe beider Basel: Basel
- Aids-Hilfe Graubünden: Graubünden
- Aspasie: Geneva
- Grisélidis: Fribourg
- Verein Lisa: Lucerne
- Lysistrada: Solothurn
- Maria Magdalena: St Gallen
- Médecins du Monde / THAYS programme: Neuchâtel
- Seges: Aargau
- Perspektive Thurgau: Thurgau and Schaffhausen
- SexualitéS Santé Jura: Jura
- SIPE / Belladonna: Valais
- Solidara / Isla Victoria: Zurich
- Xenia: Bern
- Zonaprotetta: Ticino