‘Solidarity in Action.’ New opportunities for sex workers of Ukraine

We are happy to announce that our project to provide humanitarian and psycho-emotional support to sex workers has been extended until August 2026. Our partners — UN Women in Ukraine and the UN Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) (ООН Жінки в Україні та Жіночий фонд миру та гуманітарної допомоги ООН)— have not remained indifferent to the needs of the community.

The project is being implemented by the Legalife-Ukraine Charitable Organisation with technical support from UN Women in Ukraine and funding from the UN Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF). WPHF is a flexible and rapid funding tool that supports high-quality activities aimed at enhancing the capacity of local women to prevent conflicts, respond to crises and emergencies, and seize key peacebuilding opportunities.

Natalia Isaeva (Наталія Ісаєва), Head of CO “Legalife-Ukraine: "I am grateful to our partners for providing opportunities for the development and support of our community. In the context of the rapid deterioration of the economic and psycho-emotional state of sex workers in Ukraine, it is this support that gives us faith that we are not alone in the difficulties that we face due to the war".

THE IMPACT OF WAR ON SEX WORKERS IN UKRAINE

Our team is actively looking for new partners and funding, as this crisis continues and the economic situation of sex workers in Ukraine has not only failed to improve but continues to deteriorate.

The war and its consequences have a painful impact on the psychological and physical health, economic and material situation, as well as the legal and social status of our clients. In addition to the persistent stigma and discrimination, as well as the risks associated with the illegality of sex work in Ukraine, new risks to life have emerged, and the conditions of sex work have become even more dangerous. Women’s vulnerability to rights violations and violence has increased.

Many of our clients are women who have been left without means of subsistence or housing and are unable to provide themselves and their families with the necessary resources and food.

On the other hand, women who did not provide sex services before the war are now forced to engage in sex work. Most often, these are internally displaced women who are forced to migrate across the country, supporting minor children or sick parents, while having no housing, work, legal and informational support.

Criminalisation and the lack of official employment deprives sex workers of state assistance/compensation for war victims.

Every year, our community conducts surveys of sex workers in the regions to find out what changes are taking place in their lives, what daily problems they face, and what assistance and services they need first of all. According to the results of such a survey in 2024-2025:

• 85% of respondents have seen a sharp deterioration in their financial situation (compared to before the war);
• 94% of sex workers surveyed are forced to receive humanitarian aid packages containing food, hygiene products, clothing, etc. in order to survive;
• 60% of sex workers surveyed are in urgent need of legal and psychological support;
• The need for housing remains acute: 30% of the respondents were forced to change their city/address of residence due to the war, 41% of respondents do not own their own home and pay for rented accommodation. At the same time, emergency housing remains poorly accessible, because most social institution for people in crisis situations are overcrowded with internally displaced persons as a result of the war.

Natalia Isaeva, Head of CO “Legalife-Ukraine”: "Cuts in funding for international programmes and a lack of support from the state negatively affect the ability of sex workers’ self-organization to respond to the crisis. But we are always continue to search for new opportunities. I am confident that our cooperation with UN Women in Ukraine and the UN Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) will contribute to the involvement of the community in the response and decision-making that affects their lives and security".

WHAT WE WANT TO CHANGE

It is clear that under these conditions, women of our community are largely excluded from humanitarian decision-making that affects their families. Living on the edge of survival and struggling daily for basic resources, without access to legal, medical and social services, does not contribute to women’s leadership in advocacy programs.

In order to strengthen women’s leadership and participation, it is necessary to restore the community ties that were broken by the war, to restore the motivation of community members to take joint action and participate in advocacy activities, in particular in humanitarian planning and implementation. This will only be possible if the primary survival needs of sex workers in Ukraine are met. These are the results that our Solidarity in Action project aims to achieve.

SOLIDARITY IN ACTION PROJECT

The project involves activities in two areas. Firstly, it aims to meet the immediate needs of sex workers in terms of resources and ensure access to inclusive, affordable and high-quality services. Secondly, it involves engaging community leaders and activists in the planning, implementation and monitoring of humanitarian response activities.

The project will cover 18 regions of Ukraine. In each of these regions, sex workers will be able to receive monthly assistance in the form of food, hygiene products and other basic necessities. Women and their families will be able to rent temporary accommodation.

The project provides for the operation of a Helpline — women who are at increased risk of violence, stigma and discrimination in war conditions will have access to legal and psychological support, peer counselling, information about medical, social and legal services.

To support the mental health of sex workers, monthly mutual aid groups for members of initiative groups will be held in the regions, and joint training sessions on psycho-emotional support for our leaders are also planned.

The project provides for organisational development and measures to strengthen the advocacy capacity of the community. Regional leaders and activists will undergo training in crisis planning and response at the community level. During the project, the leaders will collect community needs, conduct self-help groups for members of initiative groups, distribute humanitarian kits among sex workers.

In total, more than 1,700 sex workers of Ukraine will be able to receive assistance and support throughout the project.

We express our respect and sincere gratitude to UN Women in Ukraine and the UN Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) for supporting the community!

If you need humanitarian aid, psychological or legal support, you can contact our Hotline at +38(067)450-777-4, +38(050)450-777-4 or via online chat.

Also, you can always receive our counselling services. Our counsellors – psychologists, peer counsellors, lawyers – will provide you with all the necessary information or share the contacts of specialists in your city.

Team of the CO “Legalife-Ukraine”

The United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) is the only global mechanism created exclusively to support women’s participation in peacebuilding, security processes and humanitarian assistance. Managed by a cross-section of civil society, governments and the United Nations, the WPHF is a multi-partner trust fund that mobilises urgently needed funding for local women-led organisations and works alongside women on the front lines to build sustainable peace. Since 2016, WPHF has provided funding and capacity support to over 1,000 local women’s civil society organisations working on women, peace and security issues and implementing humanitarian activities in 41 crisis-affected countries around the world.

This publication has been produced with the financial support of the United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), but this does not imply that the views and content expressed herein are officially endorsed or recognised by the United Nations.