“Sex worker community of Ukraine is an example of incredible courage and resilience”, Olena Stryzhak, CO “Positive Women”

We are supplementing the SERIES OF INTERVIEWS “ON WAR AND SEX WORK”, in which we talk about the life of Ukrainians, the fate of sex workers and the sphere of sex services in Ukraine during the war, with a new series of conversations. This time we decided to talk to the leaders of our partner public organizations, with whom we share all the difficulties and challenges of protecting the rights of sex workers in different corners of our Ukraine during the war.

To your attention an interview with the chairwoman of the board of CO “Positive Women” Olena Stryzhak (Олена Стрижак, БО «Позитивні Жінки»)

“Legalife-Ukraine” (L-U): Welcome to our portal! The cooperation of our organizations has a very long history that began almost 10 years ago, long before the full-scale invasion of the rf into Ukraine. Please tell us what changes have occurred in your life and in the life of the organization “Positive Women” over the past 4 years of war?

Olena Stryzhak: Greetings, dear colleagues and partners! The last four years have been a time of radical transformation for us. From mainly advocacy activities, we have moved to a large-scale humanitarian response and the creation of a network of Safe Spaces for women and girls in different regions of Ukraine. We have learned to work in conditions of war and constant crisis, without losing focus on the main thing - women and their rights. In 2022, at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, our activists in Ivano-Frankivsk, Khmelnytskyi, Chernivtsi and Cherkasy were the first to start raising money to help women from vulnerable groups and immediately began organizing shelters for women and women with children. This helped many women at the beginning of the great war. During this time, our office in Kyiv has actually turned into a kind of transitional hub for refugee women from eastern Ukraine. Our transformation began precisely with this. Today we are not just an organization, but a powerful all-Ukrainian community that has become a support for tens of thousands of women.

In my own life, as in the lives of each of us, there has been less sleep, but much more meaning and understanding of who we are doing this for and what each of us needs most today.

L-U: What can you personally call the main achievements in the work of Positive Women over these years?

Olena Stryzhak: First and foremost, and probably most importantly, we were able to unite behind a common idea and share the same values, which helped create warm and cozy places (and have been supporting their work for four years in a row), where women not only feel protected from judgment and stigma, but can also always count on free and comprehensive support - legal, psychosocial and humanitarian. This is especially important for women in cities close to the front line - Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Odessa, Kramatorsk, Sloviansk, Mykolaiv, Kherson. I also consider our work with internally displaced women and women who have experienced gender-based violence to be important. We have integrated services for them into most of our projects, helping them adapt to new places and overcome the consequences of violence.

At the beginning of 2026, the CO «Positive Women» turned 13 years of activity

L-U: How has your interaction with the authorities, social services, medical and other institutions changed during the years of full-scale war?

Olena Stryzhak: We have moved from formal correspondence to a real partnership “on equal terms”. State institutions have recognized that without the participation of the non-governmental sector it is impossible to help vulnerable groups effectively. Today we are actively involved in the development of national and regional programs. Our representatives are present in specialized working groups, which allows us to make state services, including medical and HIV services, more humane and accessible. I consider it important that we have ultimately become the same “bridge” between HIV-positive women and the state system, helping to overcome the barriers and stigma that women from the community, unfortunately, still face.

L-U: Tell us more about the programs in which Positive Women collaborates with the sex worker community of Ukraine the most today.

Olena Stryzhak: Our cooperation today is a daily practice in the regions where our outreach workers are present, whose efforts are focused specifically on supporting sex workers. This is very specific assistance: professional consultations, assistance in obtaining quality medical services based on barrier-free gynecological offices, if necessary, case management, and, most importantly, motivation to take pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) as one of the effective tools for preventing HIV transmission. We have established the strongest partnerships with the sex workers’ community in the Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Poltava and Kharkiv regions.

We have a clear procedure for working with them: they receive services in our Safe Spaces and socio-psychological support rooms, and we, in turn, refer women to Legalife-Ukraine for support if necessary.

Presentation of the findings of the community-led study “The Impact of War on Women Living with HIV in Ukraine”, June 26, 2024

L-U: How important, in your opinion, is cooperation and mutual assistance between NGOs today?

Olena Stryzhak: I think that today it is the only way to survive during the war and be effective. Our resources are limited, and the challenges we face every day are enormous. Cooperation allows us to create a single powerful advocacy resource. When we speak with one voice - Positive Women, Legalife and other partner organizations - the authorities cannot ignore us.

L-U: Who are your key allies in the non-governmental sector, with whom do you join forces to protect the rights and opportunities of HIV-positive women?

Olena Stryzhak: Our strategic partners are not only NGO CO "100% Life" (НУО - БО «100% життя»), the ICF "Alliance of Public Health" (МБФ «Альянс громадського здоров’я»), as well as the state institution "Center for Public Health" («Центр громадського здоров’я») and social services and institutions that provide services on behalf of the state.

Our partners include representatives of organisations that have brought together community members and like-minded individuals: "Legalife-Ukraine", VONA, "March of Women", NGO "Insight", Club "Eney", All-Ukrainian СO "Convictus Ukraine" («Легалайф-Україна», ВОНЖ «ВОНА», «Марш жінок», ГО «Інсайт», Клуб «Еней», ВБО «Конвіктус Україна»).

We also work fruitfully within the framework of the Coalition "1325. Women. Peace. Security" («1325. Жінки. Мир. Безпека») and with the support of international partners, such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, UN Women, UNFPA, UNAIDS, UNICEF, Help (HLF), International Medical Corps (IMC) and others.

Olena Stryzhak

L-U: What do you think could help strengthen our cooperation in the future?

Olena Stryzhak: I see a great future in joint advocacy on the international stage, as we did during the preparation of the Shadow Report to CEDAW. We need to continue this path, documenting barriers to obtaining vital services and violations of the rights of women and sex workers.

Our shared goal is the decriminalization of HIV transmission (repeal of Art. 130 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) and the decriminalization of sex work (repeal of Art. 181-1 of the Code of Administrative Offences). Strengthening horizontal ties between our regional representatives is what will make our network even more resilient.

L-U: What advice can you give to aspiring activists and what would you like to say to the sex workers’ community in Ukraine?

Olena Stryzhak: To novice activists: don’t be afraid to be "uncomfortable" and ‘uncompromising’ when it comes to defending human rights. But remember also about the resource, in order to help others, we ourselves must be confident.

To the community of sex workers in Ukraine, I wish, above all, recognition and safety. You are an example of incredible courage and resilience. I wish that your work is always protected, and your rights remain inviolable. We will always remain your reliable partners and sisters.

The interview was prepared by the team of the portal "Legalife-Ukraine"

We would like to thank the team of CO "Positive Women" with help due with preparation of this interview

Photo by CO "Positive Women"