“2 JUNE IS NOT A HOLIDAY FOR UKRAINE, BUT A MANIFESTO” INTERNATIONAL SEX WORKERS’ DAY

When government reports eloquently describe millions in tax revenue from platforms such as OnlyFans, this is perceived as a victory on the financial front. But when 2^nd of June arrives — International Sex Workers’ Day — the progressiveness of the authorities suddenly disappears. Instead of official recognition, labour rights and social guarantees, tens of thousands of people in Ukraine face legal invisibility, stigma and criminal prosecution.

The latest act of political hypocrisy was the recent failure in the Verkhovna Rada of Bill No. 12191, which was supposed to decriminalise exchange of the adult visual content between consenting adults. The decision fell short by a mere 19 votes (only 207 MPs voted in favour. The paradox of double morality is striking: the state happily accepts millions of dollars in taxes from the adult platforms into the budget of a country at war, yet leaves Article 301 of the Criminal Code in force, which allows Ukrainians to be thrown behind bars for simply sending personal photos.

THE COST OF ‘MORALITY’

This imaginary moralism is costing the state far too much. In just one year, Ukrainian law enforcement officers spent over 17,700 working hours on senseless investigations into ‘anti-pornography’ cases.

As an organisation that was directly involved in the working group drafting this bill, we at the CO «Legalife-Ukraine» have calculated the financial cost of this absurdity: at least 10 million hryvnias are spent from taxpayers’ pockets on these prosecutions every year.

At the same time, according to the Better Regulation Delivery Office (BRDO), decriminalisation(could generate 509 million hryvnias in tax revenue for the budget each year — enough to purchase 24,000 FPV drones or to fund the High Anti-Corruption Court for a year.

This imitation of “protection of public morality” directly affects the sphere of sex work. Criminalisation and ‘artificial’ articles of the Criminal Code leave in the hands of corrupt structures the perfect tools for police arbitrariness, blackmail, extortion and “covering up”. Whilst resources are wasted on issuing pointless administrative fines for ‘prostitution’ or fabricating cases of ‘pimping’ against those who simply work together for safety’s sake, the community itself remains completely defenceless before the law.

Who are sex workers really?

They are adults (men, women or transgender people) who voluntarily and knowingly receive money or goods in exchange for sexual services, either regularly or from time to time. They are excluded from national labour laws, have limited rights and are deprived of basic social protection.

Behind every number is someone’s fate

According to estimates by the ICF "Alliance of Public Health" (МБФ «Альянс громадського здоров’я»), there are over 86,000 sex workers in Ukraine. The war has exacerbated the crisis in the community to the limit, turning sex work into the only means of survival for many families. According to our data:

• 85% of sex workers surveyed reported a sharp deterioration in their financial situation.
• Over 40% have an income below the minimum wage.
• Every second person single-handedly supports minor children or sick relatives.
• Almost a third were forced to change their city of residence due to hostilities (became IDPs), while half of them have no other source of income.
• 12%, of whom almost a quarter are IDPs, have only recently started providing sexual services — due to financial hardship caused by the war and a lack of alternatives.

At the same time, the number of those who face violations of their rights is constantly growing: from 56% in 2022 to 69% in 2025. Most often, the rights of sex workers are violated by representatives of the medical sector (40%), law enforcement (27%) and social services (24%).

Our director, Natalia Isayeva (Наталя Ісаєва), who has been campaigning for systemic change for years, notes:

‘In Ukraine, the terms “sex work” and “sex workers” are still ignored at the state level. For many years, we have heard from politicians that reforms are “not on the agenda”. But the recent failure of Bill No. 12191 has shown that the authorities have time for populism, but lack the political will to protect the rights of their own citizens. As I already noted in a comment for DW, only law enforcement officers benefit from criminalization — those who “cover” for it. That is why the law enforcement agencies themselves are blocking change.

People cannot wait for years in hiding until MPs are “ready”. If a country at war cannot ensure full economic stability, it is obliged to guarantee the constitutional human right to work and free choice. There needs to be a clear distinction between voluntary sex work and sexual exploitation. People who work to feed their children are not criminals.”

Why ‘not the right time’ is a dangerous illusion

For many years now, the phrase ‘not the right time’ has served as a universal political shield, behind which officials hide to avoid any systemic reforms in the field of human rights and the protection of vulnerable communities. However, in conditions of a full-scale war, this illusion becomes truly dangerous. When the state, due to outdated dogmas, postpones the decriminalisation and recognition of sex work as a profession, it is not ‘protecting morality’ but deliberately deepening the crisis.

Natalia Isaeva, Director of the CO “LEGALIFE-UKRAINE”:

“We constantly hear that the rights of sex workers or changes to legislation are secondary issues that can wait until victory. But I believe that the state, right now, during the most difficult period for Ukrainians, is obliged at the very least to stop criminal prosecution for the voluntary work of adult citizens. Postponing reforms until later is condemning thousands of people to poverty and driving them into a state of complete powerlessness in the face of corrupt law enforcement officials”.

Dry pragmatism helps to dispel the myth that the reform is ‘not timely’. An honest and open discussion about decriminalisation has three practical dimensions that are critically important for Ukraine right now:

1. Economy: Decriminalisation and the recognition of sex work as a job means bringing a colossal industry out of the shadows. This is not just about providing legal jobs for the workers themselves, but also about creating official positions for support staff (administrators, technical support, security). Instead of wasting millions of hryvnias of taxpayers’ money on pointless law enforcement ‘raids’ and forensic investigations, the state will receive additional official revenue in the form of taxes.
2. Public health: Successfully combating epidemics is impossible in an underground environment. Criminalisation forces the community to hide from law enforcement, which automatically cuts off their access to quality healthcare, free testing and HIV/STI prevention. Decriminalisation reduces the level of violence from clients or law enforcement and opens a direct path for medical and social services to work effectively, thereby safeguarding the health of the entire nation.
3. Social procurement and rehabilitation: This is a topic that people in Ukraine still prefer to hypocritically remain silent about, even though it is more pressing than ever. In many European countries, there is a civilised practice of social procurement and assistance with sex services for people with disabilities. Today in Ukraine, thousands of military personnel and civilians are undergoing extremely complex physical and mental rehabilitation following severe injuries and amputations. Ensuring their right to a full life, acceptance of their own bodies and sexual rehabilitation requires a European, humane approach from us, not Soviet-style prohibitions.

Support ‘here and now’: activities of the CO ‘LEGALIFE-UKRAINE’

The Ukrainian sex workers’ community, represented by the CO ‘LEGALIFE-UKRAINE’, has been working for over 10 years to influence public opinion and bring about changes to laws, regulations and enforcement practices.

We are striving to raise awareness of the devastating impact that criminalisation has on sex workers’ livelihoods and well-being.

Our demands remain largely unchanged: sex workers want safe working conditions, the decriminalisation of their work, and an environment that allows them to combat violence and exploitation when it occurs.

Olena Fiskova (Оена Фіськова), Chair of the Board of CO ‘LEGALIFE-UKRAINE’, says:

‘We have been fighting for systemic changes in the law for over 10 years. But people are living today, and they need help “here and now”, not in the distant future. That is why our entire team is focused on providing real, daily support to everyone who finds themselves in a difficult situation due to war, violence or crisis.”

Today, our organisation has deployed a large-scale community support network across the regions of Ukraine. In the last six months alone (from November 2025 to April 2026):

• Over 750 sex workers have received individual humanitarian kits (food, hygiene products) and essential items to help them survive during the crisis (power banks, LED lamps, warm clothing, underwear).
• Regular mutual support groups are active on an ongoing basis in 20 regions of Ukraine. These have become a safe space for sex workers, where they can receive psychological support and learn tools to protect their rights.
• Through our Helpline, which is a completely safe, anonymous and accessible space for sex workers, over 1,000 professional consultations have been provided. These include:

- 450 — psychological support sessions

- over 150 — peer-to-peer consultations;

- over 400 — targeted referrals to receive necessary medical, social and other services.

  *  The helpline continuously records numerous reports of human rights violations. Thanks to the professional and prompt work of our paralegals, a large number of the most complex cases — ranging from unjustified refusals of medical services and police abuse to delays in social payments for IDPs — are successfully resolved in favour of our beneficiaries.

We are sincerely grateful to our international and national partners who remain by our side during this critical time: the Global Fund for Women, UN Women Ukraine and the United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), SWAN, NSWP, the CO ‘100 PERCENT LIFE’ («100 ВІДСОТКІВ ЖИТТЯ») and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Despite setbacks in parliament and the daily difficulties, 2 June is an opportunity to tell ourselves and to the whole world: sex workers in Ukraine will continue their journey towards equal rights, safety and recognition.

We salute to our resilient community and press on!

Team at the CO “Legalife-Ukraine”