About war and sex work in Ukraine with Svitlana Tokar, Sumy town

We are talking with Svitlana Tokar, a paralegal of the community of sex workers of CO ‘Legalife-Ukraine’ in Sumy.

Natalia Dorofeeva, CO “Legalife-Ukraine” (ND): Hello, Svitlana! This is the first time we have an interview with you, so I’d like to know more about you and your life before CO ‘Legalife-Ukraine’ - where are you from, where did you study, what did you dream about, what do you like, etc.

Svitlana: I was born in Zakarpattia region of Ukraine, but I have been living in the border region of Sumy for over 25 years. When I was a child, I wanted to connect my life with medicine, but eventually I dedicated myself to economics and trade.

I held both managerial and ordinary working positions, and always loved to learn new things, so in my late forties I got a degree in Accounting and Auditing.

I met the Great War in the Sumy region, survived the blockade of our city with my family, and then finally realised that I wanted to help people and work in the socially oriented field. So, in the spring of 2024, I was selected for the position of a paralegal at Legalife-Ukraine.

As for my hobbies, I have a farm, so I spend my free time caring for my pets.

ND: Why did you decide to join CO ‘Legalife Ukraine’ and defend the rights of sex workers? Do you have a personal story that prompted this decision?

Svitlana: Working in the economic and commercial sphere, I communicated with different people, and I often heard sad and painful stories of women and girls. I tried to listen and help, but that was not my job function at the time. I didn’t have enough knowledge and connections to help people. Somewhere around that time, I realised that I wanted to do a little bit more.

Later, the this war revealed even more problems and needs, including those of vulnerable groups. My family and friends and I tried to help whomever we could: we distributed the aid that was once delivered to us from western Ukraine, baked pies for the defenders of Ukraine, handed over home-canned food to volunteers, etc. At the same time, I was unemployed and was actively looking for an opportunity to be involved in something global.

When I saw the vacancy at CO ‘Legalife-Ukraine’, I clearly realised that this was my thing. I have long been familiar with the work of harm reduction programs in Sumy region, working with key populations, following service organisations in the region and Ukraine as a whole, so I was generally familiar with the field and was not afraid of such specifics of work.

ND: How did your family react to the fact that you would be defending the rights of sex workers?

Svitlana: Positively. They know that I have always empathised with vulnerable groups and are glad that I can fulfil myself in helping someone. 

ND: Can you already tell us what attracts you most about working with CO ‘Legalife-Ukraine’ and what difficulties you face?

 Svitlana: What I like most is working with people, the dynamism and flexibility of the processes. I like to know that this work is useful. Girls have difficult life situations, but we are here to help them through.

ND: Do you regret your decision to change your field of activity? 

Svitlana: I’ve been working for a relatively short time, so I haven’t had any such thoughts, I haven’t had time to face burnout or fatigue yet. We are now ready to work actively.

ND: Svitlana, please tell us what is happening today in the life of SWs and in the sex work market in your region? What changes has the war brought about?

Svitlana: I can’t compare it to the pre-war period, because I started working as a paralegal only in 2024. However, I notice that women face a lot of stress due to mobilisation or the participation of their partners in hostilities. The war imposes additional worries, anxieties, and despair on girls: forced resettlement, evacuation, daily explosions, alarms, shelling, and the destruction of various institutions in Sumy all leave a deep mark. The war has a severe impact on the psycho-emotional state, and hence on the physical state: mood swings, increased vulnerability, anxiety, and poor sleep. As a result, the quality of life of an already vulnerable group decreases. That is why I often refer girls to friendly psychologists, because working with a specialist is very important now.

Regarding the level of earnings of SWs or the categories of clients, the information varies depending on the speakers, so it is difficult to give a single answer. It all depends on how often women practice sex work, what kind of clients they have, and what is an acceptable remuneration. Of course, there are women whose clients have left because of the war, lost their income, or changed their region of residence or work. So we understand that the situation is not stable.

ND: Have you come across women who were not engaged in sex work before, but now have to go into sex work because they have no other job?

Svitlana: During my work with a specific circle of clients, no such cases have been recorded.  In general, there are various job vacancies in Sumy, with completely different salaries. If necessary, I am always ready to advise sex workers on possible employment.

In the photo: information and consultation meetings with sex workers on the protection of rights and access to services

ND: What problems do sex workers most often face in war conditions?

Svitlana: Women usually talk about prejudice, refusal to provide services, insults, etc. In everyday contexts, there are cases when partners do not pay alimony for their children, threaten to deprive them of their rights, appeal to the woman’s employment, etc.

We work with psychologists when a woman becomes apathetic or depressed, which can be due to work, war, economic challenges, etc. We accompany or refer them to doctors, because we understand the risks of sex work. For example, it can be a friendly gynaecologist, mammologist, family doctor, etc.

ND: All our paralegals use the DataCheck mobile application to record and respond to offences. We have repeatedly presented the app on our website and advised sex workers to use it on their own to find legal assistance. But I think it will be better if you, as an active DataCheck user, share your practical experience with the sex workers. Please explain what kind of tool it is, how and why paralegals work with it, and what benefits it brings to sex workers?

Svitlana: This is a special programme for recording and responding to violations of the rights of key populations vulnerable to HIV, including, in our case, sex workers. Thanks to the system, we can record human rights violations in healthcare, justice, employment, education, public life, and in emergency situations.

For me personally, this programme is very convenient, and the collection, processing and storage of sensitive data is secure - we know that all information cannot be shared further. The service is available and can be accessed 24/7 from a phone or computer. It is also convenient that the application provides all the answer options and has a territorial mapping of the regions - it is easy to understand and trace where the offence occurred.

ND: Svitlana, please give us some examples of the offences you most often encounter in your work and tell us about your role in upholding the rights and protecting of SWs.

Svitlana: Most often, we face violations of rights, insults and prejudice in everyday situations, for example, in the family, or in the service sector - shops, markets, transport, etc.

Unfortunately, there are also frequent cases of gender-based violence. Most often, we talk about domestic violence, or violence between partners, when there is moral pressure: quarrels, insults, manipulations, reproaches. This is a complex, vicious cycle where we see codependency, exhaustion, and many other negative manifestations. It can be attempts at physical violence - slapping, kicking, and rarely beating. Sometimes it is economic violence, when one of the partners refuses to financially support the children, threatens them, etc.

We try to help these girls. Our task is to record the violations, refer them to a specialist, and, if necessary, accompany them. These can be doctors, police, psychologists. Sometimes we inform them: we tell them where and what kind of help they can get, where to call, where they can spend the night safely, etc. We also provide moral support through friendly communication, and sometimes it is important to just listen to a person to support them.

In the medical field, most often, SWs face a lack of information and refusals to provide services.  And the reason for the refusal can be completely different: out of ignorance, the girl went to the wrong specialist - she was refused, not told who to see, or told that she needed an electronic referral, and meanwhile, the appointment was scheduled for a month in advance. The family doctor does not answer or is on holiday. All this complicates the situation, provokes stress, and the request remains unresolved.

If a person has a need, I can accompany them to a medical facility, go with them from making an appointment to seeing a doctor to visiting that specialist. But I cannot say that there were gross violations. Often it is just a misunderstanding.

There were also violations during employment. In particular, a SW was refused by an employer because of her previous criminal record. Our client was not suitable for him precisely because she had been convicted many years ago. There have been cases when people have been denied work because of their appearance, manner of behaviour, etc. We understand that this is stereotyping and, to a certain extent, marginalisation of key groups, which is again caused by misunderstanding and lack of information, but we always emphasise that our clients are ordinary people who also need employment and support.

ND: Do you think this SWs has the capacity to solve such problems on its own, without your help?

Svitlana: It’s hard to say. There are opportunities, but people may not know about them: where to go, where to get help. They can quickly lose motivation and leave everything as it is, endure it, and keep silent.

ND: Which of your partners helps you to protect the rights of SWs?

Svitlana: Often we get help from friendly psychologists from the NGO “Zupinka: Ya”: and lawyers from the Helsinki Human Rights Union. The NGO Club Chance also used to work with the JV.

In the photo: a meeting with representatives of partner organisations

ND: What advice would you like to give to novice paralegals and activists?

Svitlana: My advice is not to be afraid of challenges related to work: you will be helped, supported and guided! You need to admit that you want to be useful and say so: apply for a dream job, knock on the door of an organisation or foundation, offer your volunteering.

ND: I propose to make a wish for all Ukrainians and separately for sex workers, and let them come true!

Svitlana: We all dream of a victory - one common, big one, and many small personal victories. It would also be great if society got rid of stereotypes about sex workers, stopped stigmatising them and treating them with prejudice. This would make the girls’ work and lives much easier.

Interview by Natalia Dorofeeva (CO “Legalife-Ukraine”)