Escort website offers Ukrainian women
AN ESCORT website encouraged men to pay for sex with Ukrainian women fleeing from Vladimir Putin’s invasion, and live out their ‘war inspired fantasies’.
A European anti-trafficking expert warned yesterday that the sex trade here is reacting to the refugee crisis with an increase in demand from men trying to ‘identify and have sex with’ female evacuees.
Valiant Richey, a representative from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, gave the website as an example of the increased demand.
‘We are already seeing the [sex work] market responding’ to the refugee crisis, the expert said.
‘For example, one of Ireland’s largest escort websites offered men the opportunity to live out their ‘war-inspired fantasies’ with Ukrainian women.’
Mr Richey said the same website reported a 250% increase in Ukrainian women advertising services since the war began.
The vast majority of people fleeing Ukraine since the invasion began on February 24 have been women. Under the country’s martial law, men between the ages of 18 to 60 were required to stay and fight.
The existence of the website was revealed during a digital National Women’s Council of Ireland event yesterday, during which Richey said there was a ‘significant spike’ in the use of online search terms that ‘related to buying sex from Ukrainian women.’
‘In other words, one of the early and measurable reactions in Europe to the crisis were attempts by men to identify and have sex with women and girls fleeing the conflict,’ Mr Richey said.
He said that the influx of evacuees coming from Ukraine, coupled with the increase in demand for men looking for Ukrainian sex workers, opened the door to sex traffickers who want to exploit the crisis.
‘Addressing demand today is the single greatest anti-trafficking tool we have, to prevent the current humanitarian crisis from becoming a trafficking one.’
Mr Richey was joined by several other speakers at the event, that called on the Government to protect women and children fleeing the war.
Beyond Exploitation (Ireland’s civil society campaign for equality and freedom from sexual exploitation) coordinator Mia de Faoite said doing so much be a top priority for the Government as the war continues.
‘This is a matter of urgency, women and girls are already disappearing into the hands of traffickers, many women have already been raped by soldiers or sexually exploited by buyers,’ she said.