“Collaboration allows us to respond to challenges comprehensively, not to “patch holes”, Maryna Pohorila, Poltava city, Ukraine

WE CONTINUE OUR SERIES OF INTERVIEWS ‘ABOUT WAR AND SEX WORK IN UKRAINE’ with our leaders and paralegals in 2026. Almost a year has passed since our last public conversation with our regional representatives, when we talked about the lives of Ukrainians, the fate of sex workers and the sphere of sex services in Ukraine during the war. This year, we return to this conversation to recall the events of four years of this war and analyse their impact on our community and society.

Maryna Pohorila (Марина Погоріла) — leader of the sex worker community of the CO “LEGALIFE-UKRAINE” in Poltava, Ukraine

Natalia Dorofeeva, CO “Legalife-Ukraine” (ND): Congratulations, Maryna! A whole year has passed since our last conversation — not an easy period, full of various events. What was it like for you personally? Tell us what transformations have become the most important for you?

Maryna: To be honest, during this year I have the feeling that I have lived not 12 months, but a small separate life. Formally, I am still the same: director of the Poltava branch of “Legalife-Ukraine”, a leader and paralegal, involved in various councils, working groups and projects. But inside, a lot has changed.

From personal achievements, I continued to learn and improve myself as a leader. I have taken several trainings related to women’s leadership, political participation and gender equality, and have participated in programs that have talked not only about women’s rights but also about having real influence at the political level. This is important for me because I understand that if we want to decriminalize sex work, we need to be not only “activists”, but also those who enter the decision-making space.

And another serious stage this year is the operation. It was difficult and required as much strength from me as any work in the community. This is not a story about weakness – on the contrary, it is about endurance. I had to go through examinations, expectations, fears, recovery. It reminded me very much of my own limits and that the body sometimes sets its own rules. But I coped. And I returned to work as quickly as recovery allowed, because I know: our girls and boys cannot wait for the “best moment”.

The second important piece is professional burnout and working with it. War, new waves of displacement people, stories of violence, the poverty our girls live with – all this does not pass without a trace. I have learned to better track my condition, honestly admit when I am not feeling well, and not “pull everyone on my shoulders”. I allow myself to rest more, although it is not ideal yet.

If we talk about everyday life, it has become more structured and at the same time more intense: many trips, online and offline events, participation in forums, coordination councils, constant work with new cases. Even more responsibility for the team and the community has been added, but at the same time – a greater feeling that I am in right place.

Training to increase the level of awareness of police officers regarding HIV/AIDS, drug addiction, harm reduction programs, Poltava, 2025

ND: Four years of the great war are a huge distance, so, probably, the initiative group (IG) of Poltava is completely different today than at the beginning. How did the roles and atmosphere in the team change, and how did this affect external relations with partners?

Maryna: Over the four years of the war, our initiative group has changed a lot. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, many were simply trying to survive: evacuating, losing their homes, searching for basic resources. Then the activity subsided in waves. Now we can say that the IG has become more mature: we better understand who is responsible for what, who is capable of what, and each person sees their contribution.

The number of participants does not always grow “in a straight line”, because people leave, return, someone takes a break. But a core has appeared that keeps the direction.

Over the years, girls and boys have grown a lot: those who were once afraid to just go to a meeting and say a couple of sentences are now ready to take responsibility for their activity, calmly talk to representatives of state structures. Some tried their hand at public speaking for the first time, some even managed to become equal consultants, some went into other areas, but they still stay in touch with us and participate in our events. New ways of finding community representatives have also been found, and humanitarian aid, which is on an ongoing basis, helps a lot here.

When we go out to our partners today, we have a clear understanding: we have something to offer them. We have built more systematic cooperation with medical institutions, probation, migration services, social protection, with organizations that work with people living with drug addiction and IDPs. It is very important for us that this is no longer a “we did something once a year” format, but constant contact: referrals, joint discussions of problems, participation in coordination bodies and other events.

Of course, not without disappointments: sometimes you expect partners to be as quick and sensitive to the problem as we are, but you get "not the time right now" or formal replies. Sometimes it hurts when one of the activists burns out and leaves. But overall I see that our IG is much stronger now than it was before the war: we are not just reacting to the problem, but thinking about systemic changes, advocacy, how to protect not just one person, but the community as a whole.

 IG meeting after the year of work and New Year’s gifts for the participants of the initiative group, Poltava, 2025

ND: Maryna, how do you see our society in its fourth year: is there a place for supporting sex workers and other vulnerable groups? Where is there more stigma now — on social media or in real life?

Maryna: If we compare the first year of the full-scale war and the fourth, the atmosphere has changed very noticeably. At the beginning, there was a sense of unity: everyone collected humanitarian aid, wove nets, helped the army, there was a lot of volunteering “by default.” Now fatigue has accumulated, people have become more tense, nervous, polarized. Economic problems, mobilization, constant news about losses add to the tension.

Civic activism has not disappeared, but it has become more selective. Some people continue to help steadily, while others “drop out” because they themselves can barely cope with life and work. More distrust has appeared, and for us this means that we have to show results, explain what we are doing and why.

Unfortunately, the attitude towards sex workers and vulnerable groups has not changed radically. The stigma was and is still there. A new dividing line has appeared: "are you helping the army or not?" Sex workers who donate, volunteer, have relatives at the front are an obvious reality for us, but for many people they are still “the people who need to be saved from themselves.” There are a lot of double standards in the public space: violence against sex workers is perceived differently than violence against "ordinary women."

I see two trends in social networks: on the one hand, there are a few more publications about the rights of sex workers, decriminalization, and safety. On the other hand, hate has not disappeared. People have written to me in private messages: "we have a war, and you are here about sex work," there were comments like "you are to blame," "it’s a sin, not work," etc.

At the beginning of my leadership journey, I was very hurt by such comments and opinions of individual people. But over time, I learned to filter: constructive – we discuss, outright hate - we block, and move on. I understand that my task is not to convince everyone, but to be the voice of those who are not heard.

Signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation with the Regional Working Group "Gender Aspects in Humanitarian Action" (GiHA) in Poltava region, 2025

ND: If we look deeper into these four years: how has the landscape of sex work changed in your city - both in terms of locations and in terms of the composition of girls, in particular among IDPs or new people in the field?

Maryna: At the beginning of the full-scale war, the sex work market simply "floated": some women went abroad or to safer regions, some worked very sporadically, because everyone lived in a state of shock. Added shelling, curfew, fear of moving around the city - all this has drastically changed the conditions. Those who left tried to work abroad, but there are their own laws, different rules, a language barrier. Not everyone can stand it, some return to Ukraine and look for themselves here again.

Now the situation is different, but also difficult. A lot of street sex work has moved to apartments, hotels, rented premises. Girls are more likely to look for clients via the Internet, messengers, recommendations, than "at the point". For many, this is a question of safety: to work at home or in a familiar place, and not stand on the highway at night under shelling and checks. But online is also not always safe - there are other risks associated with the police, blackmail, information leaks.

The number of women in sex work, from my feeling, has increased. This is especially evident at the expense of IDPs: women who arrived without belongings, without housing, with children, often in a situation of “either earning something today, or having nothing to feed their family tomorrow.” And some of them go into sex work precisely because of the lack of other real options for earning money. Formally, there is another job, but the salary often does not cover rent, utilities, and basic needs.

There are those who never thought about sex work before the war, but now they have chosen sex work. There were stories when a woman worked, for example, in a store, and after evacuation found herself in a foreign city without support - and the only quick way to earn money was sex work. Such decisions are always made with difficulty, with shame and fear, but war very often puts people in a dead end.

If we talk about the average incomes of sex workers, they have noticeably decreased. Before the war, prices were more or less stable, and demand was understandable. At the beginning of the war, incomes fell sharply – many were left without income at all. Now the prices for services have partly increased along with everything else, but this does not mean that women have become richer. More often, the opposite is true: expenses have increased faster than incomes, plus instability – today there are clients, tomorrow there are none.

Speech at a joint event of women’s organizations on gender sensitivity, inclusion and humanitarian activities that meet the needs of women from vulnerable groups, Poltava, 2025

ND: What is the generalized image of a client in the field of female sex work today? Who is he, how have his characteristics changed in recent years?

Maryna: Before the war, the client’s portrait was more diverse: from "office" to business clients, from those who came from out of town to locals. After the start of the full-scale war, some clients disappeared - some left, some simply stopped spending money on such services, because they themselves can barely make ends meet.

Now the impact of mobilization and Territorial Center of Completion and Social Support raids is very much felt: men have become more careful, many avoid unnecessary movements around the city, especially at night. Most of the clients are military personnel who come from the front for rotation or treatment. Some have money and a desire to "turn off their heads", while others, on the contrary, have neither the resources nor the desire. There are clients who have become more nervous, aggressive, and this also affects the safety of women.

ND: Unfortunately, in the fourth year of the war, the general level of tension in society provokes violence from various sides. Has it become more in the lives of sex workers in Poltava? And how do women review their safety measures in such conditions?

Maryna: The level of violence, in my experience, has not decreased exactly. It is difficult to say how much it has increased, because some cases do not reach us at all and are not recorded. But the general tension in society, weapons in everyday life, alcohol, PTSD - all this creates additional risks for sex workers. Because sex work remains illegal, many perceive this as an excuse for cruelty, believing that "it is possible with them" and it will not have consequences.

Obviously, the need for safety and protection from violence has increased. Women turn to us because of beatings, threats, extortion, attempted rape, and the police’s refusal to respond. We help record violations, explain where to turn, sometimes accompany them to the police and medical institutions, advise on risks, and together we think through a safety plan. But most women are not ready to go "to the end" to punish the guilty, because they are afraid of publicity, loss of children, conviction. Then at least we record the case to see the overall picture.

As for protection in sex work, the girls independently develop safety protocols: they try to go only to regular and proven clients, agree on a "control call" with their friends, and implement other rules of their own protection.

We regularly talk about safety at work with them during IG meetings and in self-help groups, but everyone makes their own decisions - although the war greatly narrows the space for choice.

Humanitarian aid to sex workers from the CO “Legalife Ukraine” in Poltava, 2025

ND: Maryna, please tell us how the community’s needs for our services have changed over these four years? What requests from sex workers are relevant now and what services do you provide in response?

Maryna: Economic needs have become much more acute during the war. If earlier women came more for consultations, information, humanitarian aid from time to time, then at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, basic things became critical: food, hygiene, heating, electricity and communication. We distributed, and still do, warm clothes, sleeping bags, lanterns, power banks - everything that helps to simply survive in conditions of shelling, power outages, loss of housing. And this is not a pleasant bonus for women, it is a matter of life.

The issue of housing has become particularly acute. There were cases when we helped a woman close a lease for several months, and this literally saved her from living on the street. For a sex worker who has children or elderly parents, losing her home is not just “moving”, it is a complete collapse.

There are also problems with documents: lost passports, lack of registration, utility debts, unregulated stay in another city or country. We help restore documents, compensate for travel if you need to get to another city to resolve the issue.

As a leader, I provide various types of support: I advise on receiving services and inform about the possibilities of medical programs, registration of social benefits, distribute humanitarian aid, and if necessary, redirect to partners. A lot of work is done with information: what is and how to get ART (Antiretroviral therapy), SMT (Substitution maintenance therapy), where to go if you’re denied services, how to avoid dropping out of treatment. Very often people do not even know that they have the right to certain services or payments from the state, because the information is provided in complex language and is completely disconnected from real life.

Providing paralegal advice to sex workers in Poltava, 2025

ND: How does this burden of problems affect the mental health of sex workers? Do you have to act as a psychologist for women? What tools for psycho-emotional support do you use within the team?

Maryna: The psychological state of the community has deteriorated significantly over the years. Constant anxiety, fear, uncertainty, loss of loved ones, moving – all this is superimposed on the already difficult life of sex workers. The number of anxiety, depression, panic attacks, feelings of hopelessness has increased.

My team and I are trying to create a space where everyone can receive professional psychological help: our psychologists work both with girls and directly with leaders who also need resource restoration.

I also conduct mutual support groups. For women, this is a territory of absolute trust, where you can share your fears and experiences without being judged. Often for women this is the first moment in their lives when they dare to speak out loud what is happening to them. And this sincere self-expression is already half the way to healing.

ND: Perhaps it is impossible to “cover” all the needs of the community on your own? Tell us about the role of partner organizations in supporting sex workers.

Maryna: Indeed, cooperation with partners allows us to respond to challenges comprehensively, and not just "patch holes" alone. I cooperate with various organizations and this is a rather large list.

In the medical field, we closely cooperate with regional public health centers and friendly doctors, providing girls with access to SMT, ART, gynecology and family medicine.

Together with organizations that support people with drug addiction, we work on the accessibility of treatment and protection of the rights of PWID (People Who Inject Drugs).

At the strategic level, we act together with CO "Legalife-Ukraine", focusing on advocacy, training and participation in national coordination councils.

An important direction is work with the probation service, where we accompany women from key groups so that they do not lose access to necessary services due to legal restrictions.

We have also established communication with the migration service, which helps to promptly resolve issues of document renewal, registration, and voluntary return procedures.

Round table for the All-Ukrainian campaign "16 Days Against Violence" with the participation of representatives of the Poltava branch of CO “Legalife-Ukraine”, CO Volna "East" (ГО «Волна «Схід»), CO “Meridian” (ГО «Меридіан»), and law enforcement agencies of Poltava

ND: The status of a paralegal allows you to see the "shadow" side of the system. In which areas are girls most vulnerable now? What categories of offenses do you encounter most often in your practice?

Maryna: As a paralegal, I see violations in almost all areas where a sex worker comes into contact with the state or the "system".

Most often, violations of rights occur in interaction with law enforcement agencies, where instead of protection, women face refusals to accept applications, humiliation and abuse of power. The police often resort to extortion or blackmail, threatening to reveal the woman’s occupation to her relatives.

No less acute is the problem in the medical field: here girls are often exposed to rudeness, refusal of service or blatant violations of confidentiality, especially when it comes to HIV status or drug use.

In the social protection system, they face bureaucratic resistance and bias, when specialists deliberately delay processes or accompany their work with disparaging comments about how they have “already been given so much”.

In addition, discrimination is manifested in the fields of education and employment, where a person can be openly restricted in their rights simply because of their past in sex work or drug addiction.

During the four years of war, new types of violations related to IDPs, mobilization, housing, and benefits have appeared. For example, when an IDP sex worker is threatened that she will be “removed from benefits” if she “demands respect for her rights.” Often, women apply precisely because they do not know whether they are entitled to any assistance at all, and are afraid that any step “outside” will take away the last thing from them. The most frequent requests to me are: “I was denied a service / I was humiliated, what should I do next?”, “can I complain if I am afraid that my husband or relatives will find out what I do?”, “they do not accept my application, they say that it is my own fault.” I explain the rights, options for action, help formulate the application in simple words, sometimes I go with the woman as support.

ND: Could you recall a specific case from your practice — perhaps a particularly difficult one or, conversely, one that ended in a small victory — that best illustrates the work of a paralegal today?

Maryna: I will describe a generalized case — unfortunately, there have been many such cases over the past four years. I was approached by a woman who combines sex work with the challenges of her life as an IDP. She was stopped by police officers: without any legal grounds, they confiscated her documents and phone, held her for several hours, and threatened to "report to the relevant authorities" so that she would be deprived of benefits for displaced persons. In fact, they openly demanded money from her for "peace of mind."

Despite her deep shock, she dared to seek help. Together we discussed her rights in detail, in particular, that the police do not have the right to detain a person without proper grounds, seize personal belongings, or blackmail her with social guarantees. I helped her document the situation, we competently filed a complaint and contacted the management of the unit where these employees worked.

These are not stories with an instant "happy ending", where all the guilty were immediately punished, but we achieved an important result: the documents were returned, the woman was finally left alone, and most importantly - she gained experience of resistance.

For me, there are two key aspects in such cases: firstly, a person is not left alone with the trauma, and secondly - the system receives a clear signal that each such case is being monitored and there will be a legal response to each violation.

 IG consultation meeting on access to legal aid with Yuriy Nochovny, head of the Poltava Legal Aid Bureau No. 1 sector of the Eastern Interregional Center for Providing Free Legal Aid

ND: From your experience, has the state apparatus become more sensitive to the requests of your community during these four years of war? How has the nature of interaction with the police and social services changed - towards partnership or greater isolation?

Maryna: I continue to be in constant contact with state bodies, but the format of our interaction has significantly transformed. If earlier these were mainly point requests - resolving a specific incident in the police, problems in a medical institution or issues of social protection - now our cooperation has become systemic. I take an active part in coordination councils and working groups, where at the official level we raise issues not of individual cases, but of the systemic protection of the rights of vulnerable groups.

Interaction with each structure has its own vector. I turn to the police mainly in cases of physical violence, extortion of money or when it comes to procedural violations, such as refusal to register an application. Work with medical institutions concerns the protection of patient rights: refusals to provide assistance, disclosure of confidential information about the state of health or manifestations of stigma. With the migration service, we solve complex cases of women from among IDPs who have lost their documents or have needs caused by the consequences of the occupation. A separate direction is the probation service, where we provide support to women who have restrictions of will and at the same time belong to key groups, which requires a special approach.

There are both positive developments and rather painful moments in our cooperation with state structures. On the one hand, people have appeared in the system with whom a constructive and humane dialogue is possible: they understand the specifics of our work, know the activities of CO “Legalife-Ukraine”, and show professional respect. On the other hand, the human factor still prevails at the grassroots level. The reaction to a sex worker’s appeal often depends on the specific performer: someone helps professionally, while someone continues to resort to humiliation or refusals. Unfortunately, cases of ignoring applications have not disappeared. In such situations, we act through official mechanisms: we file complaints, appeals, and involve partners.

Perhaps this does not always give an ideal result, but it definitely creates "uncomfortable conditions" for the system in the form of official proceedings and public resonance.

Group consultation of women from key population groups in the Kyiv district department of the branch of the State Institution "Probation Center"

ND: Maryna, I am sincerely grateful to you for the frank conversation. Finally, I ask you to give some advice to those girls and boys who have just felt the power to change the world, but are perhaps still hesitating?

Maryna: First, don’t try to be a “savior of the world” alone. This is a direct path to burnout. Share the workload, ask for help, build a team, look for partners.

Second, don’t be shy about learning. Rights, laws, appeal mechanisms, working with documents – all this seems scary and “not for me” at first. But with experience comes the understanding that these are just tools. The more you know, the less you are afraid.

Third, take care of yourself. Listening to stories of violence, poverty, and loss, it is very easy to get lost in someone else’s pain. But you are also a person. You have the right to rest, to your emotions, to “it’s hard for me right now.” This does not make you a weak activist, on the contrary – it helps you stay in the movement for a long time.

And another important thing: speak from the heart. It is not necessary to have a perfect correct language to be useful to the community. It is important that you are honest – with yourself, with the people you work for, and with those with whom you are in dialogue.

Interview by Natalia Dorofeeva, CO “Legalife-Ukraine”