Ukraine 2025. 69% of sex workers experienced violence and violations of their rights during the year

The data below is based on the results of the assessment of barriers to access to services and the study of the impact of martial law on the observance of the human rights of sex workers (SWs), which were conducted by CO “Legalife-Ukraine” in 2025 with the support of theNGO network 100% Life, NSWP and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

As part of the monitoring and assessment of the availability of services for SWs during August-September 2025:

• Interviews were conducted with 337 Ukrainian sex workers (SWs) in 17 cities of Ukraine: Vinnytsia, Dnipro, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhia, Kyiv, Kryvyi Rih, Lutsk, Lviv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson, Cherkasy, Chernivtsi.
• The vast majority of respondents – 96% are female, another 2% are male and 2% are transgender.
• The study involved sex workers aged 19 to 66, the average age of respondents was 38 years.
• 63% of respondents belong to cross-groups and have multiple cross-identities (PLWH, LWH, LGBTIQ+, etc.).
• An extract from the DataCheck application database for the last 12 months (from September 2024 to August 2025) was made, which records violations of the rights of sex workers.

The analysis of the interviews demonstrates that most SWs of Ukraine are quite vulnerable in psychological (emotional) and economic terms. This vulnerability has deepened due to mobilization (more than a third of respondents have loved ones, relatives, partners in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine) and the general economic crisis in the country.

The well-being of most sex workers directly depends on the provision of sex services. In wartime, providing sex services has become more dangerous, finding clients has become more difficult, and earnings are not enough to meet minimum needs, etc.:

72% of SWs claim that working conditions have worsened, and risks to life and health have increased;

another 42% of SWs noted that they were forced to change the place of service provision and/or means of finding clients (moving away from the street/entertainment venues, etc., switching to webcams/online, or working only with regular clients, etc.);

72% of SWs noted that their financial situation had worsened over the past year, 64% of SWs had a drop in earnings, only 10% of SWs reported an increase in earnings, with a third of them confirming a deterioration in working conditions and increased risks;

46% of SWs were forced to leave sex work at the beginning of the war, but over two-thirds of them eventually adapted to the new risks and conditions and returned to sex work;

On the other hand, there are those who were forced to start providing sex services (12% of respondents, almost a quarter of whom are IDPs) precisely because of the difficulties caused by the war;

41% of SWs have incomes of less than 7,500 UAH per month (around 150 US dollars per month).

These results may indicate that the number of people earning money from sex services is increasing due to the emergence of those sex workers who did not provide sex services before the war and the return to sex work of those who adapted to the conditions of the war.

On top of this, additional factors increase the material vulnerability of respondents:

• Lack of own housing. 41% of respondents rent housing.
• Maintenance of minor children. 53% of SWs have minor children to support, a third of whom are caring for two or more children.
• Dependence on work in the field of providing sex services. 74% of SWs noted that they are forced to receive charitable/humanitarian assistance, because only 29% have an additional job/business, 24% have no other sources of income, 31% receive payments from the state (as IDPs, for raising children, disability pensions, etc.), which are not enough to meet the needs of SPs and their families.
• Lack of a profession and low educational level: 40% of respondents have not studied anywhere other than general education (including 2% who did not even receive basic secondary education).

The level of violations of sex workers’ rights is increasing every year. Over the past year, 69% of respondents have experienced violations of their rights, which is 13% more than at the beginning of the war.

SWs face violations in various areas, but, as in previous studies, the highest rate of rights violations is recorded by medical professionals (40%) and law enforcement officials (27%).

The main problem remains the stigma surrounding sex workers and other vulnerable groups. It is this stigma that leads to discrimination, rights violations by government officials, doctors, law enforcement officers, employers, and violence against SWs.

It is because of stigma that when receiving services in medical institutions, respondents:

Faced with negative attitudes from medical staff, rude treatment, and degrading remarks.

“At first, the doctor was very friendly — she listened to me, asked me when the problems started, and created a safe atmosphere. I felt comfortable, and I honestly told her that I was a sex worker and had a positive HIV status. After these words, the doctor changed dramatically. She started saying loudly that she wouldn’t examine me because I "could be a danger to other women."

We were forced to give bribes or pay charitable contributions for the opportunity to sign a declaration with a family doctor or receive services: treatment, diagnostic services, surgery, consumables during examinations/surgery, etc.

"If you don’t tell the doctors that you work as a private investigator, you might get it. But as soon as I told them, it started: money for charity, and crooked looks, and insults."

We received an unfounded refusal to provide services. Medical staff deliberately complicates the procedure for receiving services, redirects to other specialists or institutions, creates unfavorable conditions, forcing patients to refuse services and/or turn to paid clinics, etc.

“… I was surprised by the lack of awareness of the doctors themselves: they told me that I could only receive help at the AIDS center or at the place of residence, although the law allows me to receive medical care in any institution in Ukraine.”

Faced with the disclosure of confidential information/medical secrets about their health/employment in sex work to third parties.

“… another doctor came into the office, the doctor announced my diagnosis to him, thereby violating confidentiality. People in the office heard everything — it was very humiliating. I never received any medical services.”

Faced with their refusal to accept a complaint about the actions of the medical staff.

Received a refusal to receive Substitution Maintenance Therapy (SMT) treatment/increasing the dosage of SMT without explanation from the medical staff.

Faced with pressure and demands to terminate a pregnancy due to HIV infection, drug addiction, sex work, etc.

“Physicians must adhere to standards of professional ethics, including confidentiality, non-discrimination, and psychological support. In my case, instead of support, I faced condemnation and pressure. When they found out about my HIV status, they began to persuade me to terminate the pregnancy — it was humiliating and psychologically traumatic.”

The most vulnerable to violations of rights in the field of health care are sex workers living with drug (alcohol) addiction, as well as transgender women. Scars from intravenous injections, appearance, behavioral characteristics, etc. do not allow such sex workers to hide their belonging to a particular group in order to avoid discrimination. This forces them to seek help only in extreme cases or exclusively from trusted and friendly professionals.

Stigma also deepens the vulnerability of sex workers to violence:

39% of respondents indicated that they had encountered violence in the past 12 months.

But 71% did not seek help for victims of violence.

Sex workers do not seek help because they are afraid of publicity, distrust law enforcement agencies, medical professionals, and fear that third-party intervention will only worsen their situation.

The DataCheck database recorded 635 complaints about Gender-Based Violence, of which 200 cases were from law enforcement officers, which is almost a third of the total number of complaints about violence.

Even those sex workers who seek help face stigma and do not receive full services for victims of Gender-Based Violence

Specific manifestations of stigma and discrimination when receiving services for victims of gender-based violence are:

• attempts by service personnel to blame the sex worker for what happened, to impose the idea that the sex worker is exaggerating or fabricating what happened;

“I am not satisfied with the system itself, which blames the victim and excuses the perpetrator.”

• Humiliation, insults and refusal to record the crime/conduct investigative actions, examination, etc. when contacting the police

“Often, when seeking help, I faced discrimination due to sexual orientation and sex work. Sometimes I was refused a forensic examination, applications were not accepted. I contact the police, and instead of help, I get a fine for prostitution, no appeal to the police has been properly considered. No criminal case has been opened. I have faced stigma even from psychologists.”

• disclosure by the police/service personnel of personal information, details of the case, etc.

Prepared by the team of the CO “Legalife-Ukraine”