Half of the prostitutes in Berlin’s brothels are Ukrainian citizens

Half of the prostitutes in Berlin’s brothels are Ukrainian women.

This statistic is reported by the local newspaper Die Welt, citing data from a social worker who is part of an organization that provides social services in the German capital.

“Previously, Ukrainian women were not well represented in this environment. Most of the women we work with in Berlin actually come from Eastern Europe: Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary, and now also from Ukraine. I would say about 50 percent of those in brothels are Ukrainian now. There are many very young women who came here because of the war,” said social worker Mia in an interview with the publication.

According to her experience, many Ukrainian women are unaware of their rights in Germany and have been “instilled with a great fear of the employment office.” They are afraid that if they seek employment, their involvement in prostitution will become known.

Additionally, refugees face a shortage of housing, leading some to prefer working in brothels rather than staying in shelters. In some cases, women were coerced into sex work by men who promised them free housing, only to later force them into prostitution.

In the first year of the war, media outlets reported that Czech pimps were drawing Ukrainian refugees into prostitution after they had been left without money and work.

There are also recruiters in Ukraine who target women for prostitution abroad.