Profile

Contact Details

Email: gillian.abel@otago.ac.nz

University Links

Position: Emeritus Professor
Department: Department of Public Health (Christchurch)
Qualifications: MPH DipTech DPH, PhD
Research summary: Vulnerable populations

Research

Professor Gillian Abel's early background was in haematology before taking a career change to public health. She joined the Department of Public Health and General Practice at the University of Otago, Christchurch in 1997 and holds a PhD in public health from this University.

Gillian is expert in mixed methods research using community-based participatory approaches. Her research focuses on vulnerable populations such as sex workers, vulnerable youth and Pacific people. Sex work is a field in which she has extensive expertise. Her research in this field is firmly located in public health but she applies a sociological lens by analysing data in the context of structural opportunities and constraints faced by sex workers, drawing on concepts of stigma; theories of social exclusion; theories of risk; and feminist theories.

She led a large Health Research Council funded national research project looking at the impact of the Prostitution Reform Act (2003) on the health and safety of sex workers and this study has been influential in informing policy both in New Zealand and internationally. She has also collaborated on a large Canadian team project looking at vulnerabilities in the Canadian sex industry.

Gillian taught papers in the postgraduate Diploma in Public Health and the undergraduate medical programme. She has supervised many students on a variety of public health and health sciences topics.

Publications

Brents, B. G., Abel, G., Scoular, J., Sanders, T., Fraser, C., Wakefield, C., & Lanti, A. (2026). How crime-based legal regimes shape sexual harm: Sex work, consent and vulnerability. British Journal of Criminology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1093/bjc/azag008 Journal - Research Article

Sanders, T., Scoular, J., Brents, B. G., Balderston, S., Abel, G., Ellison, G., … Smailes, H. (2025). Sex workers’ experiences of criminal justice in the United Kingdom: Improving responses to sexual violence and harms. Criminology & Criminal Justice. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/17488958251360979 Journal - Research Article

Sanders, T., Balderston, S., Wakefield, C., Scoular, J., Brents, B. G., & Abel, G. (2025). The Sex Work and Sexual Violence Study: Research methods. In T. Sanders, J. Scoular, B. G. Brents, S. Balderston & G. Abel (Eds.), Voicing consent: Sex workers, sexual violation and legal consciousness in cross-national contexts. (pp. 211-235). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-77715-8_9 Chapter in Book - Research

Scoular, J., Gyurko, F., Brents, B. G., Sanders, T., & Abel, G. (2025). Legal consciousness and sex work: Towards more inclusive policy. In T. Sanders, J. Scoular, B. G. Brents, S. Balderston & G. Abel (Eds.), Voicing consent: Sex workers, sexual violation and legal consciousness in cross-national contexts. (pp. 191-209). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-77715-8_8 Chapter in Book - Research

Sanders, T., Smailes, H., Brents, B. G., Scoular, J., & Abel, G. (2025). Formal reporting: The barriers and enablers of legal mobilisation. In T. Sanders, J. Scoular, B. G. Brents, S. Balderston & G. Abel (Eds.), Voicing consent: Sex workers, sexual violation and legal consciousness in cross-national contexts. (pp. 143-176). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-77715-8_6 Chapter in Book - Research

2026

Journal - Research Article

2025

Edited Book - Research

Sanders, T., Scoular, J., Brents, B. G., Balderston, S., & Abel, G. (Eds.). (2025). Voicing consent: Sex workers, sexual violation and legal consciousness in cross-national contexts. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, 270p. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-77715-8

Chapter in Book - Research

Sanders, T., Smailes, H., Brents, B. G., Abel, G., & Scoular, J. (2025). After the violation: Sex-workers' responses to unwanted incidents. In T. Sanders, J. Scoular, B. G. Brents, S. Balderston & G. Abel (Eds.), Voicing consent: Sex workers, sexual violation and legal consciousness in cross-national contexts. (pp. 117-142). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-77715-8_5

Brents, B. G., Wakefield, C., Scoular, J., Sanders, T., & Abel, G. (2025). Defining violation: Sex-worker experiences of unwanted incidents. In T. Sanders, J. Scoular, B. G. Brents, S. Balderston & G. Abel (Eds.), Voicing consent: Sex workers, sexual violation and legal consciousness in cross-national contexts. (pp. 79-116). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-77715-8_4

Abel, G., Fraser, C., Brents, B. G., Sanders, T., & Scoular, J. (2025). Negotiating consent: Setting boundaries in the sexual contract. In T. Sanders, J. Scoular, B. G. Brents, S. Balderston & G. Abel (Eds.), Voicing consent: Sex workers, sexual violation and legal consciousness in cross-national contexts. (pp. 53-78). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-77715-8_3

Scoular, J., Howard, R., Brents, B. G., Sanders, T., & Abel, G. (2025). Sex work and sexual violence laws in each jurisdiction. In T. Sanders, J. Scoular, B. G. Brents, S. Balderston & G. Abel (Eds.), Voicing consent: Sex workers, sexual violation and legal consciousness in cross-national contexts. (pp. 19-52). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-77715-8_2

Scoular, J., Gyurko, F., Brents, B. G., Sanders, T., & Abel, G. (2025). Introduction: Understanding consent and legal consciousness in sex work. In T. Sanders, J. Scoular, B. G. Brents, S. Balderston & G. Abel (Eds.), Voicing consent: Sex workers, sexual violation and legal consciousness in cross-national contexts. (pp. 1-17). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-77715-8_1

Journal - Research Article

2024

Journal - Research Article

Ball, J., Pettie, M. A., Poasa, L., & Abel, G. (2024). Understanding youth drinking decline: Similarity and change in the function and social meaning of alcohol use (and non-use) in adolescent cohorts 20 years apart. Drug & Alcohol Review, 43(3), 664-674. doi: 10.1111/dar.13685

2023

Journal - Research Article

Weinhold, C., Abel, G., & Thompson, L. (2023). “They wouldn't get away with it at McDonalds”: Decriminalization, work, and disciplinary power in New Zealand brothels. Gender, Work & Organization, 30, 18-34. doi: 10.1111/gwao.12893

Dixon, R., Abel, G., & Burrows, L. (2023). A case for connecting school-based health education in Aotearoa New Zealand to critical health literacy. Curriculum Studies in Health and Physical Education, 14(2), 127-142. doi: 10.1080/25742981.2022.2082310

Abel, G. (2023). “You’re selling a brand”: Marketing commercial sex online. Sexualities, 26(3), 354-371. doi: 10.1177/13634607211056189

Journal - Research Other

Scoular, J., Sanders, T., Balderston, S., Abel, G., Brents, B., Ellison, G., & Marriott, N. (2023). Understanding sexual violence in sex working populations: Law, legal consciousness and legal practice in four countries (2021-2023): Study protocol v2.5. PLoS ONE, 18(11), e0283067. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0283067

2022

Journal - Research Article

McKerchar, C., Gage, R., Smith, M., Lacey, C., Abel, G., Ni Mhurchu, C., & Signal, L. (2022). Children’s community nutrition environment, food and drink purchases and consumption on journeys between home and school: A wearable camera study. Nutrients, 14, 1995. doi: 10.3390/nu14101995

2021

Chapter in Book - Research

Abel, G., & Healy, C. (2021). Sex worker-led provision of services in New Zealand: Optimising health and safety in a decriminalised context. In S. M. Goldenberg, R. Morgan Thomas, A. Forbes & S. Baral (Eds.), Sex work, health, and human rights: Global inequities, challenges, and opportunities for action. (pp. 175-188). Cham, Switzerland: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-64171-9_10

Journal - Research Article

Abel, G., & Ludeke, M. (2021). Business like any other? New Zealand’s brothel industry post-decriminalisation. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 24(9), 1243-1256. doi: 10.1080/13691058.2021.1942553

McKerchar, C., Lacey, C., Abel, G., & Signal, L. (2021). Ensuring the right to food for indigenous children: A case study of stakeholder perspectives on policy options to ensure the rights of tamariki Māori to healthy food. International Journal for Equity in Health, 20, 67. doi: 10.1186/s12939-021-01407-4

Dixon, R., Abel, G., & Burrows, L. (2021). Putting assemblage to work to explore pedagogical practices in health education in Aotearoa New Zealand. Health Education, 121(2), 174-188. doi: 10.1108/HE-05-2020-0034

Abel, G., & Ludeke, M. (2021). Brothels as sites of third-party exploitation? Decriminalisation and sex workers’ employment rights. Social Sciences, 10, 3. doi: 10.3390/socsci10010003

Aham-Chiabuotu, C. B., Abel, G., & Thompson, L. (2021). 'Men don't have patience': Sexuality, pleasure and danger in displacement settings in Northcentral Nigeria. Global Public Health, 16(5), 801-813. doi: 10.1080/17441692.2019.1690539

2020

Edited Book - Research

Armstrong, L., & Abel, G. (Eds.). (2020). Sex work and the New Zealand model: Decriminalisation and social change. Bristol, UK: Bristol University Press, 244p. doi: 10.2307/j.ctv1453kvn

Chapter in Book - Research

Abel, G. (2020). Contested space: Street-based sex workers and community engagement. In L. Armstrong & G. Abel (Eds.), Sex work and the New Zealand model: Decriminalisation and social change. (pp. 199-221). Bristol, UK: Bristol University Press. doi: 10.2307/j.ctv1453kvn.15

Armstrong, L., Abel, G., & Roguski, M. (2020). Fear of trafficking or implicit prejudice? Migrant sex workers and the impacts of Section 19. In L. Armstrong & G. Abel (Eds.), Sex work and the New Zealand model: Decriminalisation and social change. (pp. 113-134). Bristol, UK: Bristol University Press. doi: 10.2307/j.ctv1453kvn.11

Armstrong, L., & Abel, G. (2020). Introduction. In L. Armstrong & G. Abel (Eds.), Sex work and the New Zealand model: Decriminalisation and social change. (pp. 1-16). Bristol, UK: Bristol University Press. doi: 10.2307/j.ctv1453kvn.6

Journal - Research Article

McKerchar, C., King, P., Lacey, C., Abel, G., & Signal, L. (2020). Rights-based approaches to improving food availability for tamariki Māori: A narrative literature review and theory-based synthesis. MAI Journal, 9(3), 237-248. doi: 10.20507/MAIJournal.2020.9.3.6

McKerchar, C., Smith, M., Gage, R., Williman, J., Abel, G., Lacey, C., Ni Mhurchu, C., & Signal, L. (2020). Kids in a candy store: An objective analysis of children's interactions with food in convenience stores. Nutrients, 12(7), 2143. doi: 10.3390/nu12072143

McKerchar, C., Smith, M., Stanley, J., Barr, M., Chambers, T., Abel, G., Lacey, C., Gage, R., … Signal, L. (2020). Food store environment examination: FoodSee: A new method to study the food store environment using wearable cameras. Global Health Promotion, 27(3), 73-81. doi: 10.1177/1757975919859575

Benoit, C., Maurice, R., Abel, G., Smith, A., Jansson, M., Healey, P., & Magnuson, D. (2020). 'I dodged the stigma bullet': Canadian sex workers' situated responses to occupational stigma. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 22(1), 81-95. doi: 10.1080/13691058.2019.1576226

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

McKerchar, C., Smith, M., Gage, R., Williman, J., Abel, G., Lacey, C., … Signal, L. (2020). Kids in a candy store: An objective analysis of children's interactions with food in convenience stores. Proceedings of the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition & Physical Activity (ISBNPA) XChange. (pp. 385). International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. Retrieved from https://venuewest.eventsair.com/isbnpa-xchange-initiative

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Abel, G. (2020, May). A community development approach to street-based sex work in New Zealand. Verbal presentation at the Law & Society Association (LSA) Annual Meeting: Rule and Resistance, [Online].

Other Research Output

Abel, G. (2020, November). A research journey in sex work. University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Inaugural Professorial Lecture].

2019

Journal - Research Other

Abel, G. (2019). The problem with sex work policies. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 48, 1925-1929. doi: 10.1007/s10508-018-1366-5

2018

Chapter in Book - Research

Abel, G. (2018). Decriminalisation and social justice: A public health perspective on sex work. In S. A. FitzGerald & K. McGarry (Eds.), Realising justice for sex workers: An agenda for change. (pp. 123-140). London, UK: Rowman & Littlefield International.

Journal - Research Article

Abel, G., & Thompson, L. (2018). "I don't want to look like an AIDS victim": A New Zealand case study of facial lipoatrophy. Health & Social Care in the Community, 26(1), 41-47. doi: 10.1111/hsc.12459

Journal - Research Other

Abel, G. (2018). Decriminalisation of sex work protects human rights. BMJ, 362, k3630. doi: 10.1136/bmj.k3630

Abel, G. (2018). Sex work is here to stay and decriminalisation improves safety and social justice. BMJ, 361, k2687. doi: 10.1136/bmj.k2687

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Abel, G. (2018, June). A public health perspective on social justice and the decriminalisation of sex work in New Zealand. Verbal presentation at the Annual Meeting on Law and Society, Toronto, Canada.

2017

Chapter in Book - Research

Abel, G. (2017). In search of a fair and free society: The regulation of sex work in New Zealand. In E. Ward & G. Wylie (Eds.), Feminism, prostitution and the state: The politics of neo-abolitionism. (pp. 140-154). Abingdon, UK: Routledge.

Journal - Research Article

Abel, G., & Wahab, S. (2017). “Build a friendship with them”: The discourse of “at-risk” as a barrier to relationship building between young people who trade sex and social workers. Child & Family Social Work, 22(4), 1391-1398. doi: 10.1111/cfs.12357

Brinsdon, A., Abel, G., & Desrosiers, J. (2017). "I'm taking control": How people living with HIV/AIDS manage stigma in health interactions. AIDS Care, 29(2), 185-188. doi: 10.1080/09540121.2016.1204420

Journal - Research Other

Swinburn, B., Vandevijvere, S., on behalf of submitting health professors, including Hornblow, A., Taylor, B., Drummond, B., Murdoch, D., Mangin, D., Sarfati, D., Sellman, D., Sopoaga, F., Thomson, G., Abel, G., Hoek, J., Connor, J., Krebs, J., Mann, J., McCall, J., Broughton, J., Toop, L., Signal, L., Beckert, L., Farella, M., Baker, M., Keall, M., Skeaff, M., Thomson, M., Wilson, N., Chandler, N., Priest, P., Brunton, P., Crampton, P., Gendall, P., Howden-Chapman, P., Taylor, R., Edwards, R., Gauld, R., McGee, R., Mulder, R., Derrett, S., Hales, S., Pullon, S., & Blakely, T. (2017). Proposed new industry code on unhealthy food marketing to children and young people: Will it make a difference? New Zealand Medical Journal, 130(1450), 94-101. Retrieved from http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal

2016

Journal - Research Article

Desrosiers, J., Wilkinson, T., Abel, G., & Pitama, S. (2016). Curricular initiatives that enhance student knowledge and perceptions of sexual and gender minority groups: A critical interpretive synthesis. Canadian Medical Education Journal / Revue canadienne de l'éducation médicale, 7(2), e121-e138.

Wahab, S., & Abel, G. (2016). The Prostitution Reform Act (2003) and social work in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Affilia, 31(4), 418-433. doi: 10.1177/0886109916647764

Thompson, L., & Abel, G. (2016). The work of negotiating HIV as a chronic condition: A qualitative analysis. AIDS Care, 28(12), 1571-1576. doi: 10.1080/09540121.2016.1191615

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Abel, G. (2016, February). The NZPC and me: A long and productive collaboration. Invited presentation at the New Zealand Prostitutes' Collective Insights Symposium: Sex Work in New Zealand and Beyond, Wellington, New Zealand.

Abel, G. (2016, September). Really working: Sex workers, decriminalisation and social justice. Keynote presentation at the Sex Work Research Hub Symposium on Sex Work, De-criminalisation and Social Justice, York, UK.

Abel, G. (2016, March). From harm minimisation to social justice: A public health perspective on decriminalistation of sex work in New Zealand. Keynote presentation at the 6th Meeting of the European network ProsPol: Comparing European Prostitution Policies: Understanding Scales and Cultures of Governance (COST Action IS1209), Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Abel, G. (2016, March). Managing stigma in New Zealand's decriminalised sex work environment. Verbal presentation at the 6th Meeting of the European network ProsPol: Comparing European Prostitution Policies: Understanding Scales and Cultures of Governance (COST Action IS1209), Ljubljana, Slovenia.

2015

Journal - Research Article

Meriluoto, L., Webb, R., Masselot, A., Morrish, S., & Abel, G. (2015). Safety in the New Zealand sex industry. New Zealand Economic Papers, 49(3), 296-317. doi: 10.1080/00779954.2015.1041548

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

McKerchar, C., Signal, L. N., Abel, G. M., & Lacey, C. J. (2015, May). Healthy food availability for Māori children: A rights based approach. Verbal presentation at the Hui Poutama: Māori Research Symposium, Dunedin, New Zealand.

Abel, G. M. (2015, May). "I don't want to look like an AIDS victim": Thinking lipodystrophy with Deleuze. Verbal presentation at the Eleventh International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, Urbana-Champaign, IL.

2014

Journal - Research Article

Abel, G. (2014). Sex workers’ utilisation of health services in a decriminalised environment. New Zealand Medical Journal, 127(1390). Retrieved from http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal

Abel, G. M. (2014). A decade of decriminalization: Sex work 'down under' but not underground. Criminology & Criminal Justice, 14(5), 580-592. doi: 10.1177/1748895814523024

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Abel, G., & Bruckert, C. (2014, September). Importance of relationships as factors related to violence, resiliency and other correlates of vulnerability. Panel discussion at the International Symposium on Sex Work in Canada: Building on the Evidence, Ottawa, Canada.

Wahab, S., & Abel, G. M. (2014, May). The impact of the Prostitution Reform Act (2003) on social workers and youth (16-18) in the sex industry in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Verbal presentation at the Tenth International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, Urbana-Champaign, IL.

2013

Journal - Research Article

Seers, K., Cook, L., Abel, G., Schluter, P. J., & Bridgford, P. (2013). Is it time to talk? Interpreter services use in general practice within Canterbury. Journal of Primary Health Care, 5(2), 129-137.

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Abel, G. (2013, February). Public health research: More than just epidemiology. Verbal presentation at the Christchurch Medical School 40th Anniversary Celebrations, Christchurch, New Zealand.

2012

Journal - Research Article

Ludeke, M., Puni, R., Cook, L., Pasene, M., Abel, G., & Sopoaga, F. (2012). Access to general practice for Pacific peoples: A place for cultural competency. Journal of Primary Health Care, 4(2), 123-130.

Abel, G. M., & Fitzgerald, L. J. (2012). ‘The street's got its advantages’: Movement between sectors of the sex industry in a decriminalised environment. Health, Risk & Society, 14(1), 7-23. doi: 10.1080/13698575.2011.640664

Thompson, L., Reeder, T., & Abel, G. (2012). 'I can't get my husband to go and have a colonoscopy': Gender and screening for colorectal cancer. Health, 16(3), 235-249. doi: 10.1177/1363459311403948

2011

Journal - Research Article

Abel, G. M., & Thompson, L. E. (2011). General practitioners, specialists and surveillance guidelines: Interpreting the socio-clinical context of decision-making. Health, Risk & Society, 13(6), 547-559. doi: 10.1080/13698575.2011.615826

Abel, G. M., & Thompson, L. (2011). What do specialists and GPs think about the introduction of colorectal cancer screening? A qualitative study. New Zealand Medical Journal, 124(1338). Retrieved from http://journal.nzma.org.nz/journal/124-1338/4756/content.pdf

Abel, G. M. (2011). Different stage, different performance: The protective strategy of role play on emotional health in sex work. Social Science & Medicine, 72(7), 1177-1184. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.01.021

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Abel, G. (2011, March). Country Presentation: New Zealand. Verbal presentation at the International Workshop: Decriminalizing Prostitution and Beyond: Practical Experiences and Challenges, The Hague, Netherlands.

Abel, G. (2011, April). Sex work: Choice, exploitation or more than just a dichotomy? Verbal presentation at the 29th International Labour Process Conference, Leeds, UK.

Other Research Output

Abel, G. (2011, July). Decriminalisation of sex work: Has the Prostitution Reform Act resulted in healthier and safer sex workers? University of Otago Winter Lecture Series. Auckland, New Zealand. [Public Seminar].

2010

Edited Book - Research

Abel, G., Fitzgerald, L., Healy, C., & with Taylor, A. (Eds.). (2010). Taking the crime out of sex work: New Zealand sex workers' fight for decriminalisation. Bristol, UK: Policy Press, 271p.

Chapter in Book - Research

Abel, G., & Fitzgerald, L. (2010). Introduction. In G. Abel, L. Fitzgerald, C. Healy & A. Taylor (Eds.), Taking the crime out of sex work: New Zealand sex workers' fight for decriminalisation. (pp. 1-24). Bristol, UK: Policy Press.

Abel, G., Healy, C., Bennachie, C., & Reed, A. (2010). The Prostitution Reform Act. In G. Abel, L. Fitzgerald, C. Healy & A. Taylor (Eds.), Taking the crime out of sex work: New Zealand sex workers' fight for decriminalisation. (pp. 75-84). Bristol, UK: Policy Press.

Abel, G., Fitzgerald, L., & Brunton, C. (2010). Christchurch School of Medicine study: Methodology and methods. In G. Abel, L. Fitzgerald, C. Healy & A. Taylor (Eds.), Taking the crime out of sex work: New Zealand sex workers' fight for decriminalisation. (pp. 159-172). Bristol, UK: Policy Press.

Fitzgerald, L., & Abel, G. (2010). The media and the Prostitution Reform Act. In G. Abel, L. Fitzgerald, C. Healy & A. Taylor (Eds.), Taking the crime out of sex work: New Zealand sex workers' fight for decriminalisation. (pp. 197-216). Bristol, UK: Policy Press.

Abel, G., & Fitzgerald, L. (2010). Risk and risk management in sex work post-Prostitution Reform Act: A public health perspective. In G. Abel, L. Fitzgerald, C. Healy & A. Taylor (Eds.), Taking the crime out of sex work: New Zealand sex workers' fight for decriminalisation. (pp. 217-238). Bristol, UK: Policy Press.

Abel, G., & Fitzgerald, L. (2010). Decriminalisation and stigma. In G. Abel, L. Fitzgerald, C. Healy & A. Taylor (Eds.), Taking the crime out of sex work: New Zealand sex workers' fight for decriminalisation. (pp. 239-258). Bristol, UK: Policy Press.

Abel, G., & Fitzgerald, L. (2010). Conclusion. In G. Abel, L. Fitzgerald, C. Healy & A. Taylor (Eds.), Taking the crime out of sex work: New Zealand sex workers' fight for decriminalisation. (pp. 259-264). Bristol, UK: Policy Press.

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Abel, G. (2010, September). The law has changed so much: Sex workers' ability to negotiate safe sex following decriminalisation of sex work in New Zealand. Verbal presentation at the New Zealand Sexual Health Society Conference, Wellington, New Zealand.

Other Research Output

Reeder, A.I., Thompson, L., & Abel, G. (2010, May). FOBT as CRC screening tool: Perceived barriers & facilitators: A NZ qualitative study. Ministry of Health Bowel Cancer, Cancer Sector Capability & Innovation Directorate Meeting, Wellington, New Zealand. [Invited Presentation].

Awarded Doctoral Degree

Abel, G. (2010). Decriminalisation: A harm minimisation and human rights approach to regulating sex work (PhD). University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. 424p.

2009

Journal - Research Article

Abel, G. M., Fitzgerald, L. J., & Brunton, C. (2009). The impact of decriminalisation on the number of sex workers in New Zealand. Journal of Social Policy, 38(3), 515-531. doi: 10.1017/s0047279409003080

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Abel, G. (2009, June). Decriminalisation of sex work: The New Zealand experience. Verbal presentation at the 19th World Association for Sexual Health (WAS) World Congress for Sexual Health: Sexual Health & Rights: A Global Challenge, Göteborg, Sweden.

2008

Journal - Research Article

Abel, G. M., & Fitzgerald, L. J. (2008). On a fast-track into adulthood: An exploration of transitions into adulthood for street-based sex workers in New Zealand. Journal of Youth Studies, 11(4), 361-376. doi: 10.1080/13676260802104808

2007

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Abel, G. (2007, October). Young street-based workers' talk of a compacted transition into adulthood: An exploration of street-based sex workers in New Zealand. Verbal presentation at the Transitioning Into Adulthood Conference, Victoria, Canada.

Commissioned Report for External Body

Abel, G., Fitzgerald, L., & Brunton, C. (2007). The impact of the Prostitution Reform Act on the health and safety practices of sex workers. Commissioned by Prostitution Law Review Committee. Christchurch, New Zealand: Department of Public Health and General Practice, University of Otago. 221p.

2006

Journal - Research Article

Abel, G., & Fitzgerald, L. (2006). 'When you come to it you feel like a dork asking a guy to put a condom on': Is sex education addressing young people's understandings of risk? Sex Education, 6(2), 105-119.

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Fitzgerald, L., & Abel, G. (2006). Decriminalisation of the New Zealand sex industry: Reflections on stigma, pleasure and practice post-Prostitution Reform Act. Proceedings of the 9th Social Research Conference on HIV, Hepatitis C and Related Diseases. (pp. 40). [Abstract]

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Fitzgerald, L., & Abel, G. (2006, December). Contexts affecting adolescent sexual initiation and the impact of the Prostitution Reform Act on the health and safety practices of sex workers. Verbal presentation at the Sexual Health Research Network Symposium, Dunedin, New Zealand.

2005

Journal - Research Article

Abel, G., & Brunton, C. (2005). Young people's use of condoms and their perceived vulnerability to sexually transmitted infections. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 29(3), 254-260.

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Abel, G., Bagshaw, S., Fitzgerald, L., Jeffs, L., Locke, A., McAlevey, F., & Schroder, R. (2005, November). A collaborative conversation. Verbal presentation at the 4th Annual Australian and New Zealand Adolescent Health Conference, Melbourne, Australia.

2004

Journal - Research Article

Abel, G. M., & Plumridge, E. W. (2004). Network 'norms' or 'styles' of 'drunken comportment'? Health Education Research, 19(5), 492-500.

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Abel, G. (2004). Styles of sociability in alcohol consumption within young people's networks. Proceedings of the 7th Biennial Adolescent Health and Development Conference and the 3rd Annual Australian-New Zealand Adolescent Health and Development Conference. (pp. 28). Wellington, New Zealand: New Zealand Association for Adolescent Health and Development. [Abstract]

2003

Awarded Masters Degree

Abel, G. (2003). Chlamydia trachomatis prevalence and sexual behaviour among adolescents (MPH). University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. 209p.

2002

Journal - Research Article

Plumridge, E. W., Fitzgerald, L. J., & Abel, G. M. (2002). Performing coolness: Smoking refusal and adolescent identities. Health Education Research, 17(2), 167-179.

Corwin, P., Abel, G., Wells, J. E., Coughlan, E., Bagshaw, S., Sutherland, M., & Plumridge, L. (2002). Chlamydia trachomatis prevalence and sexual behaviour in Christchurch high school students. New Zealand Medical Journal, 115(1158). Retrieved from http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/115-1158/107/content.pdf

Abel, G. M., Plumridge, E. W., & Graham, P. J. (2002). Peers, networks or relationships: Strategies for understanding social dynamics as determinants of smoking behaviour. Drugs, 9(4), 325-338.

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Abel, G., & Plumridge, L. (2002). Network 'norms' or ″styles″ of drunken comportment? Proceedings of the Sociological Association of Aotearoa (NZ) Conference: Social Science in the 21st Century. [Abstract]

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Abel, G. (2002, July). Styles and sociabilities in alcohol consumption within children's networks. Verbal presentation at the XV World Congress of Sociology: The Social World in the 21st Century: Ambivalent Legacies and Rising Challenges, Brisbane, Australia.

2001

Journal - Research Article

Plumridge, E. W., & Abel, G. M. (2001). A 'segmented' sex industry in New Zealand: Sexual and personal safety of female sex workers. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 25(1), 78-83.

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Abel, G. (2001). Social exclusion as a determinant risk-taking within adolescent social networks. Proceedings of the SAANZ Conference: Social Diversity and the Politics of Exclusion. [Abstract]

2000

Journal - Research Article

Plumridge, E. W., & Abel, G. M. (2000). Services and information utilised by female sex workers for sexual and physical safety. New Zealand Medical Journal, 113, 370-372.