An action for the legalization of prostitution in Ukraine took place on Maidan
Around two dozen prostitutes of both sexes gathered today on Maidan Nezalezhnosti in central Kyiv for a protest against violence and for the legalization of the illegal trade, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
As the demonstrators explained, one thing is connected with the other - prostitutes are outside the law, and therefore are subject to violence - both from the groans of clients and from the police.
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In the past year, Ukraine took the first step towards legalizing prostitution at the government level. In May, the head of one of the prostitutes' organizations was included in the government's National Council for Combating Tuberculosis and HIV Infection, along with representatives of the communities of drug addicts and homosexuals.
Prostitutes believe that the next step should be the decriminalization of their earnings, i.e. repeal of Article 181.1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of Ukraine, according to which a fine is provided for engaging in prostitution. Prostitutes also want the state to protect them from violence. But for now, officials do not want to deal with the problems of the sex industry.
“We sent letters to the president, the Cabinet of Ministers, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Justice - everyone who makes decisions. But, unfortunately, they tell us that yes, there is a problem, but it is not being solved. We are not protected, the government ignores our problems. We are discriminated against more than others, because we cannot turn to law enforcement agencies, we are outside the law,” said the head of the League LegaLife organization Yulia Dorokhova.
The action ended with a performance: one of the activists, portraying a policeman, removed the bags placed on the heads of other participants in the action, which was supposed to symbolize the decriminalization and ridding prostitution of violence.
A rally for the legalization of prostitution in Ukraine took place on the Maidan.