HOW IT WORKS: A NATIONAL HOTLINE FOR SEX WORKERS OF UKRAINE

Maybe it sounds strange to some, but yes, there is such a thing in Ukraine: the Helpline for sex workers (SWs) is available here for more than 10 years and all this time it has been operating on the basis of CO "Legalife-Ukraine".

SWs are facing prejudice and discrimination because of their professional activities everywhere. The high level of stigma, discrimination and abuse towards SWs increases their vulnerability to violence and hinders their access to services.

Most SWs, who are victims of crimes, do not seek any help because of distrust, fear of disclosure, condemnation, and punishment for sex work.

Law enforcement officers do not record reports from SWs, or they are trying to prosecute SWs themselves. The police themselves are a source of offenses and they use criminalization as a tool for manipulation, blackmail, and intimidation of sex workers.

Since the beginning of the war, the situation has deteriorated significantly. Our community has documented numerous violations of the rights of the SWs. The demand for legal and psychological assistance among the SWs has increased significantly, so the Hotline has become even more relevant.

If you know people who provide sex services or work in related fields, please share this information with them, as it may be useful to someone:

HOTLINE: +38(050) 450 777 4, +38(067) 450 777 4. By calling these numbers, you can get legal, psychological, and paralegal advice and information on humanitarian aid for sex workers, programs and services for sex workers, addresses of services and contacts of friendly professionals: doctors, lawyers, social workers, and paralegals.

In addition to the telephone line, we have an ONLINE CHAT here on the website (red square in the lower right corner of the page) and on our Facebook page.

We guarantee you anonymity and confidentiality in any case

We are approached by SWs with various problems and questions, most often by women who are in a difficult situation, for example:

  - police officers extort money from SWs, force them to draw up/sign illegal protocols, conduct illegal searches;

  - police use physical and psychological violence against SWs (moral humiliation, insult, coercion to cooperate, coercion to have sex, rape, etc)

 - SWs has experienced/are experiencing violence;

 - SWs are subjected to attempts to deprive them of parental rights, referring to the type of their activity;

  - SWs are blackmailed, intimidated or restricted in their freedom;

  - SWs do not know where to get medical/social/legal services or are denied such services based on their type of activity;

  - SWs experience psychological discomfort, depression, panic attacks, cannot overcome family problems or establish contact with children, etc;

  - SWs need assistance in obtaining a passport, registration, signing a declaration with a family doctor, etc.

From January to June 2023, 226 SWs received consultations through the National Hotline and online chats.

A total of 346 appeals from SWs were recorded, which were received by the National Hotline by phone and online chats.

SWs received:

- 140 psychological consultations

- 42 legal consultations

- 113 peer-to-peer consultations

- 51 referrals to other organizations and specialists.

We are grateful to our partners for supporting sex workers in Ukraine: ActionAid, Global Fund for Women, SWAN, NSWP, CO "100 PERCENT LIFE" and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.