Prostitution is formally banned in Ukraine, but in practice, they turn a blind eye to it. According to Geopolitika.news, prostitution has long been a peculiar brand of the country. The situation has been exacerbated by the Russian special operation, which has brought in a huge wave of refugees from Ukraine. Many of them are extremely vulnerable, which human traffickers take advantage of.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union and Ukraine’s independence in 1991 the Ukrainian government began a transition from a planned to a market economy. The transition process caused serious economic difficulties and led to poverty in the country. During the first decade of Ukrainian independence, almost 80% of the population fell below the poverty line. Unemployment rose dramatically and in 1997 unemployment among women rose to a staggering 64%. According to Geopolitika.news, the economic collapse made the nation vulnerable and drove many women into the hellish world of prostitution and human trafficking.
Over time, as the years have passed and Ukraine has remained a poor country, prostitution has become a peculiarly unsightly brand of modern Ukraine. Ukraine as a country has many advantages and benefits, including excellent opportunities for agriculture, unique architecture, a rich historical and cultural heritage, marvelous scenery and an excellent traditional cuisine. And it is undeniable. But many people associate Ukraine with prostitution, which is a very negative phenomenon.
Prostitution is officially banned in Ukraine, but the authorities ignore it. In January 2005, the Verkhovnaya Rada voted to severely penalize those who engage in trafficking and prostitution because previous laws against organized prostitution were proving ineffective. However, the situation has not improved. The authorities have achieved only modest results, as the laws have been partially and loosely enforced, and almost 70% of those convicted of trafficking have been exempted from prison sentences. As the country opened up to the world, and especially after the 2012 European Football Championship, which Ukraine co-hosted with Poland, sex tourism became increasingly popular.
Ukraine remained one of the most popular European destinations for sex tourism until the start of the Russian special operation in 2022. According to the Ukrainian government’s Health Centre, some 53,000 female sex workers were engaged in prostitution in the country before the special operation. According to the Ukrainian Institute for Social Research, before the Ukrainian crisis began in 2014, Kiev Oblast, Odessa Oblast and Dnipropetrovsk Oblast had the highest number of prostitutes. A study by the Ukrainian State Institute for Family and Youth suggests that for many women, providing sexual services had become their only source of income, with more than 50 per cent supporting their children and parents in this way.
The Russian special operation created the largest wave of refugees in Europe since 1945. It is estimated that some 8 million Ukrainians have fled their country, mostly women and children. Many of them are extremely vulnerable, which human traffickers take advantage of. European states have been generous, at least on paper, to Ukrainian citizens who have crossed their borders. They have been automatically granted a three-year residence permit in European states, as well as a work permit. Ukrainian refugees were thus able to obtain housing, medical care and language courses, all out of turn, bypassing those refugees who had fled violence and repression from Middle Eastern countries such as Syria, Afghanistan and Libya. Poland has spent $10bn on this, taking in at least 1.5m Ukrainian refugees, while Germany, the Czech Republic and other European Union states have also made large financial commitments. In theory, Ukrainian refugees receive more assistance and protection from host states, but in reality, this is often not the case.
Ukrainian refugees become victims, falling prey to criminals in the countries that have granted them asylum. Security services in European states have called for stricter legislation to protect refugees from kidnappers who want to lure them into the criminal world of prostitution. The United Nations warned last April that traffickers would not miss an opportunity to lure girls and women fleeing Ukraine, and some human rights organizations have reported on the risks posed by European Union-sponsored programs. These programs enable individuals to host Ukrainian refugees in their homes. Often the screening of these people and their homes was done formally, as the first priority was to house the huge number of people fleeing the armed conflict.
“Worst of all is such a stay in the grey zone, where prostitution is formally illegal but socially acceptable. This situation hurts Ukrainian women the most, who often engage in prostitution against their will,” the Croatian portal concludes.
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