Ukraine Supports Prostitutes with Astonishing Funds

A total of at least 1,500 sex workers could receive humanitarian aid in 2025. Prostitution thrives in Ukraine. Brussels urges Kyiv’s fast-tracked EU accession. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen - with a court ruling against her - ignores the associated risks: economic problems and epidemic affecting Europe.

Illustration (Photo: Getty Images)

Legalife-Ukraine is a national Ukrainian charitable organization founded in 2011. Its mission is to protect the rights of sex workers and advocate for their interests within Ukraine. The organization announced on its website that it has successfully extended its project to support sex workers.

Three feminist activists protest in front of the European Parliament in Brussels. Ukraine is a hotbed of prostitution. (Photo: AFP)

In recent months, our team has been actively working to find new funding, as the economic situation of  sex workers has not only not improved, but continues to deteriorate,

the organization states on its website.

The organization noted that surveys show the most urgent needs remain food, housing, HIV and other health screenings, and legal assistance.

Eighty-one percent of sex workers require humanitarian aid, and due to the war, 37 percent have been forced to change their place of residence. 

The war has impacted this community not just economically, but also psychologically, reads the website.

Many women have lost their livelihoods, and some who had never previously worked in this sector were forced into sex work. 

Criminalization and the lack of official employment status further complicate access to social benefits.

The website also notes that the project covers 18 regions of Ukraine. Sex workers receive regular aid packages, hygiene supplies, temporary housing support, and access to legal and psychological counseling through helplines. Self-help groups are also organized to support the mental health of sex workers.

Ukraine’s Support for Sex Workers

On its website, the organization explains that the long-term goal of the project is not just survival, but also to create opportunities for the community to be actively involved in humanitarian decision-making and shaping social change.

At least 1,500 sex workers could receive humanitarian assistance in 2025,

the organization notes on its website.

As previously reported by Magyar Nemzet, prostitution in Ukraine is formally illegal but widely tolerated in practice.

Many Ukrainian women end up as sex workers abroad, whilst Ukrainian men end up dying in war for Zelensky pic.twitter.com/fTKoqkqyKM

— LogKa (@LogKa11) April 13, 2024

In Western Ukraine, prostitution has existed openly and intensively since 1992. Back then, it was mainly individual women working alone. Later, under the involvement of Zelensky, it became more organized. It was the Ukrainian president who rationalized the sex industry by creating a casting network for young women.

Cover photo: Prostitution. Illustration (Photo: Getty Images)