By WIKIPEDIA
| [gtranslate] [wpavefrsz-resizer] |
Though heavily redacted to conform with "Western values" and official narrative, Wikipedia can sometimes offer information which is inherently noteworthy considering its source. This topic is such a case.
Sex tourism in Ukraine
Feminist group FEMEN on their way to protest against prostitution and sex tourism in Ukraine (2009)
Sex tourism in Ukraine is visiting the country for the purposes of sexual activity. It is on rise as the country attracts many foreign visitors.[1] The main reason for the situation stem from the combined effect of various factors. Currently, in Ukraine, the effect is constituted by a high level of the population poverty and its feminization, limited options for social mobility and very active system of organized crime.[2]
The majority of the Ukrainian sex industry exists underground and prospers due to poor law enforcement and widespread corruption.[3]Despite making the criminal penalties for human trafficking and coerced prostitution tougher, the laws criminalizing organized prostitution have had little effect.[1]
In 2013 sex tourism within Ukrainian borders was reported to growing considerably, raising concern in Ukrainian society and attracting condemnation from feminist activists such as FEMEN.[4]
General background
The Ukrainian magazine Korrespondent had reported that after the government launched the visa-free policy with Western Europe, the number of western visitors traveling to Ukraine went up and continued to rise. In 2004, the total number of tourists was around 8 million, in 2006 it was 16 million, and in 2008 it had gone up to 20 million. Each foreigner spends about €106 (₴3,388) per day in Ukraine.[5] For many people who travel to Ukraine for sex, the reputation of the country became a rival to that of Thailand.[6]
According to Ukrainian mass media, the country became a center for motley hordes of sexual adventurers because the price of a visit to Ukraine does not exceed US$1,500 (₴40,456).[6] After the Euromaidanprotests of late 2013 to early 2014, salaries plummeted, while inflation skyrocketed.[7] As a result, an hourly rate for sex with local women typically ranges from $10 (₴270) to $75 (₴2,023), and is much lower than in other European countries. It was noted that after the political turmoil of 2014 and the war in Eastern Ukraine, the Western guests started to perceive the country as an "unstable black hole." Nevertheless, Ukraine became a very popular destination for Turkey's middle-class visitors, who have a special predilection for Slavic women. The trips to Ukraine for sex tourism created a stereotype in Turkish culture promoted by movies and books.[7] American former pickup artist Roosh V published a travel guide describing his experience of dating Ukrainian women. After public release, the manual attracted a lot of coverage in Ukrainian media[2] and outrage from feminist organizations.[8]
An aspect of sex tourism in Ukraine is related to the business of marriage. Marriage agencies run scams throughout the country, emptying tourists' wallets as they go. With regards to the situation, the United States embassy published a list of typical local fraud techniques for Americans who visit Ukraine to meet their prospective spouses.[9]
Sexual exploitation of children
An involvement of adolescent boys into prostitution in Ukraine has risen a number of special concerns.[10]
It was noted that the Ukrainian legislation system has no such term as "sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism". In addition to this, low living standards, neglected children, ubiquitous corruption and social consumerism make Ukraine a fast-growing market for child sex services. The problem is aggravated by many other reasons, such as geographical situation in the heart of the European continent, large economic gaps between the home countries of sex tourists and locals, absence of visas for many tourists, low prices for alcohol, reputation of a corrupted society and high chance to avoid any kind of criminal prosecution.[11]
According to the collected statistics, 26% of Ukrainian families with one child and 39% families with two children (4.4 and 6.6 million correspondingly) are struggling to survive whilst living below the poverty line. Poverty leaves no other option to many people except providing sex services for rich and wealthy foreign guests.[11]
A 2008 research of the Ukrainian sex workers' lifestyle revealed that 39% of them do not use condoms regularly and that 22% are drug users.[3] Most part of Ukrainian sex workers are prostituting in tourist resorts of the Black Sea during the summer season, around 30 — 40% of them are between 11 and 18 years old. A strong link connecting the prostitution of Ukrainian children and child sex tourism can be seen within the country.[12]
Media coverage
Ukrainian media regularly covers the topics of human trafficking, prostitution, and sex tourism in Ukraine. Especially, a great amount of media attention was brought to these issues in regard to final rounds of European Football Championship 2012. For example, in the Polish press, all football fans traveling to Ukraine were depicted as sex tourists and all Ukrainian women as potential sexual targets. Also, the Ukrainian people were derogatorily labeled by the Polish media as poor, corrupt, criminal, HIV-positive and undemocratic.[13] As a result, in 2012 there was an outbreak of hysteria over "sex tourism" among Ukrainian soccer fans. At the peak of the obsession, roving gangs of local vigilantes even attacked foreigners who ordered prostitutes, and posted the videos of beatings online.[7]
See also
- Poverty in Ukraine
- Corruption in Ukraine
- Crime in Ukraine
- Prostitution in Ukraine
- HIV/AIDS in Ukraine
- Street children in Ukraine
- Child prostitution in Ukraine
- Gender inequality in Ukraine
- Human trafficking in Ukraine
- Women's rights in Ukraine
- Violence against women in Ukraine
References
- Ukraine Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, 2006
- Ради тела. Украина стала страной секс-туризма Корреспондент.net, 2016
- Natalia Antonova Welcome to Kiev: city of beautiful women and a prospering sex industry The Guardian, 2012
- Sex tourism Foundation Scelles, 2013
- Корреспондент: Украинские девушки закрепили за страной статус центра секс-туризмаКорреспондент.net, 2009
- Интим за 1500 долларов: Украина стала новой Меккой секс-туризма TSN
- V. Maheshwari What scared Ukraine’s ‘sex tourists’ away POLITICO, 2016
- Ritstjórn, "Ráðleggur fólki hvernig á að sænga hjá íslenskum konum" Archived 2018-02-01 at the Wayback Machine, "DV.is", 2011-11-02
- Norma Costello Western Sex Tourists Are Still Looking for Love in Ukraine Vice kanaler, 2016
- Executive summary: Ukraine Archived 2020-01-12 at the Wayback Machine ECPAT Report
- Country Specific Report. Ukraine Archived 2021-04-15 at the Wayback Machine Global Study on Sexual Exploitation of Children in Travel and Tourism, 2015
- Child Prostitution. The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children In the early years of the 21st Century
- M. Schuster, A. Sülzle, A. Zimowska Discourse on prostitution and human trafficking in the context of UEFA EURO 2012 Academic study of discourse and campaigns in the run-up to the 2012 European Football Championship finals as the basis for advising decision-makers
By way of comparison:
Italy
 Italy |
|
|---|---|
| Prostitution legal Buying sex legal Brothels illegal Procuring illegal Solicitation legal in certain areas |
A street prostitute talking to a potential customer in Torino, Italy, 2005.
In Italy, prostitution, defined as the exchange of sexual acts for money, is legal, although organized prostitution, whether indoors in brothels or controlled by third parties, is prohibited. Brothels were banned in 1958. Individual sex workers working from apartments are "tolerated". Loitering is permitted, but soliciting ("unabashedly inviting clients on the street") is illegal. Migrants with work or residence permits may work in sex work, and police cannot revoke residence permits and begin deportation procedures, as they tried failing by the Italian laws.
A 2008 report stated that were some 100,000 prostitutes in Italy.[108] In 2007 it was stated that the total number of workers was 70,000.[109][110] The Italian Statistics Institute stated the number of street workers in 1998 was 50,000.[111]
A euphemism often used to refer to prostitutes in Italy is Lucciole (lit. "fireflies").
Kosovo
 Kosovo |
|
|---|---|
| Prostitution illegal Buying sex legal |
Prostitution in Kosovo is illegal, and can incur a prison sentence of up to sixty days.[112] The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria's HIV Program in Kosovo estimated there to be 5,037 prostitutes in the country.[113] Many women turn to prostitution through poverty.[113] There are report that prostitution has become a new organised crime in Kosovo.[114]
Prior to the Kosovo War following the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence, prostitution was limited to serving the needs of locals.[115] Following the ceasefire and presence in the country of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo and other international organisations, the demand for prostitution soared. As well as women turning to prostitution voluntarily, some were trafficked from Moldova, Bulgaria and Ukraine.[115]
Belgium
 Belgium |
|
|---|---|
| Prostitution legal Buying sex legal Brothels legal Procuring illegal Solicitation illegal |
Rue d'Aerschot, Brussels, which has a portion of the street with red lights and prostitutes visible.
Prostitution is decriminalized in Belgium since 1 June 2022,[150] but the law prohibits pimping[151] or assisting immigration for the purpose of prostitution. However, in practice enforcement can be lax and "unofficial" brothels are tolerated (for example in Antwerp). Human trafficking or exploiting individuals for financial gain is punishable for a maximum prison sentence of 30 years.[152] A recent report by RiskMonitor foundation states that 80% of the prostitutes who work as windows prostitutes in Belgium are from Bulgaria.[153] Belgium is listed by the UNODC as a top destination for victims of human trafficking.[143] Many sex workers organisations feel that the present grey area in which prostitution operates leaves sex workers vulnerable to exploitation.[154][155][156][157][158]
A report commissioned by the National Bank of Belgium,[159] estimated a turnover of 840 million Euro in 2015.[160] The most important segments of the market seem to be escort and private prostitution, rather than the more visible forms of window or street prostitution.
Lithuania
 Lithuania |
|
|---|---|
| Prostitution illegal Buying sex illegal |
Prostitution in Lithuania is illegal, but it is common.[6][69] Law enforcement is weak,[40] corrupt[70] and is reputedly connected to organised crime.[40] It is estimated that there are 3,000 prostitutes in the capital Vilnius.[70] Many of them are foreign, predominantly Russian, but there are also significant numbers from Belarus, Ukraine and Poland.[70] Street prostitution, including underage prostitutes,[71] is generally controlled by criminal elements.[70]
Sweden [Contradictory legislation?]
 Sweden |
|
|---|---|
| Prostitution legal Buying sex illegal Brothels illegal Procuring illegal Solicitation illegal |
Paying for sex is illegal (the client commits a crime, but not the prostitute). The Sex Purchase Act (Not an act of its own, but rather an amendment to the criminal code, commonly knows as Sexköpslagen), which makes it illegal to pay for sex, but not to be a prostitute, was adopted in 1999, and was then unique. Since then, similar laws have been passed in Norwayand Iceland.
The rationale underpinning the law was the view that prostitution was a form of violence against women so the crime consists in the customer paying for sex, not in the prostitute selling sexual services.[77] This 'rationale' sees the seller of sex as the exploited partner in the exchange.[78]
[DISPLAY_ULTIMATE_SOCIAL_ICONS]
Print this article [bws_pdfprint display=’print’]
The views expressed herein are solely those of the author and may or may not reflect those of The Greanville Post.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License •
ALL CAPTIONS AND PULL QUOTES BY THE EDITORS NOT THE AUTHORS
1 comment
Note the male transvestite in the group of young pretty Ukrainian women. In the middle of the banner with pompoms covering her lack of breasts and with black gauze stockings.