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“Ukraine is not a bordello”
Published: 14 December, 2009, 15:03
Edited: 26 December, 2009, 19:34
TAGS: Scandal, Ukraine, Protest, Human rights, Law, Swine flu, Sex
Ahead of the Euro 2012 Football Championship which Ukraine will co-host, a group of feminist activists in Ukraine are protesting the rise of prostitution and sex tourism to draw attention to the problem in the country.
At this stage, few politicians are paying attention to the demands to clamp down on the billion-dollar vice industry.
Despite a cold winter in Kiev, members of Ukraine's first feminist movement called FEMEN are protesting what they describe as prostitution in the modeling industry. The girls demonstrated half-naked right outside the venue of the Miss Ukraine beauty contest.
On Monday, a half-naked group of FEMEN activists have braced the winter cold for a football match against prostitutes.
They have been protesting the rise of sex tourism, which is expected to boom during the Euro 2012 football competition.
”We are trying to resolve two major issues of sex-tourism and prostitution in our country,” claims FEMEN movement leader Anna Gutsol. “This industry is rapidly gathering strength and politicians are doing nothing about it.”
The group was founded two years ago. It immediately went on the offensive with a campaign against escalating sex-tourism and prostitution called “Ukraine is not a brothel”. They say the orange revolution five years ago has made matters worse.
“All visas for foreign tourists were abolished in 2005 by the new power, and it resulted in a huge invasion of sex-tourists in our country,” explains Anna Gutsol. “And this industry has been on the rise ever since.”
“Now I can’t walk freely down Kiev’s main street Kreshchatik,” adds FEMEN movement activist Aleksandra Shevchenko. “These sex-tourists literally try to grab me every time and I sometimes have to use force against them.”
The FEMEN movement has combined sex and humor to highlight some of the serious problems facing Ukraine.
The girls mud-wrestled in Independence square to depict the dirtiness of Ukrainian politics and organized marches in bikinis made of cloth face masks to criticize the panic over the swine flu epidemic.
”Many criticize us for our methods, calling them too extravagant and immoral,” says FEMEN activist Galina Sozanskaya, “But we understand that this is the only way to be heard in this country. If we staged simple protests with banners, then our claims would not have been noticed.”
The girls hope they have managed to make people think about the sex tourism problem and have made politicians hear them.
Vladimir Kremlev for RT. (Click to enlarge)
“However, in reality, we understand that an anti-prostitution law will not be passed any time soon. Moreover, it could even be legalized – simply because some deputies could be involved in that industry, which brings in around $750 million a year.”
The FEMEN movement has more than 15,000 followers in Ukraine and beyond, but they do not have any financial or political backers.
For the time being, the group has no plans to stand in elections, but protests will continue regardless.
14.12.2009, 11:53
2 comments
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Let's demonstrate against prostitution by taking off our clothes and mud-wrestling ... Oh the irony...
Also, I do not see the point of promoting feminism by 'objectifying' yourself. This does exactly the opposite of what they are trying to achieve.
Instead, these women should be promoting education and moral values.
hello, I understand the problems that are being faced in Ukraine. I have been involved with marriage dating agenices there,...and there is much dishonesty there So, instead of wasting time with silly protests, get serious about EDUCATING women and girls in Ukraine about the hazards of foreign job offers that seem too good to be true; etc. Can you find ways of trainig the prostitutes to earn a good living in Ukraine? Yes? No? if ,not, prepare to deal with prostitution...better to legalize it! Here in US....anyone can find prostitutes anywhere in America where there is city populations. Many sucessful men, rather than put up with a neurotic, emotionally damaged woman, or unfaithful woman,. or nagging, harpie woman or obese (very fat women)...prefers to pay young, beautiful , educated woman to come and have sex, then leave man alone Would an American guy rather take out a friendly, clean attractive prostitute while visiting Odessa instead of a gold digging, green card seeking marriage agency scammer??? What do you think? If more women had realistic relationship goals, and chose thier men with thier heads instead of thier hearts and/or sexual organs, they would be much happier, and lead better lives; but women certainly do not do that in USA nor do many of the marriage agency types appear to do this when they are young, in Ukraine!! Till such issues are addressed, women will continue to fall prey to trafficing or worse, organ harvesters, so silly street demonstrations are mere sideshows, start getting political, NOW! Sincerely, An American man who adores Ukrainian women.
The women should stop selling themselves if they don't want any sex tuorists. Sex tuorists are usually well organised and they wouldn't go to a place where are no women who sell themselves.