FEMEN: We don’t want Euro!

The Women’s Movement FEMEN urges UEFA and it’s President Michelle Platini to pay their attention to the problems of prostitution and sex-tourism in Ukraine during preparation to the Football Championship Euro 2012 and take drastic measures to fight against these social evils:

• To start a separate social programme, that will be dedicated to the prostitution issure in Ukraine;

• To inform the football fans about the fact that prostitution in Ukraine is illegal (on the website, шт communiqueы, on Euro 2012 tickets and in any other forms);

• To work out visuals and slogans on the topic of the fight against prostitution by the final part of Euro 2012 and place it on the stadiums and sport uniform of the football players;

• To address Ukrainian Government to demand from them to fight prostitution.

Our appeal is dictated by bitter experience of South African Republic, where World Cup has just finished. The «Football Celebration» for African people brought momentary happiness only – after departure of the guests the heavy burden of maintenance of objects, built specially for the Championship, falling upon the shoulders of the host, some of them will be simply closed down. Acute problems of poverty, AIDS and criminality have not been solved, but got more obvious, making the South Aftican Republic (SAR) less attractive for tourists in the future.

Experience of Greece hosting the world scale sports events, the 2004 Olympics, turned into the disaster – a money debt became the catalyst of deep economic and social crisis six years later.

Ukraine is taking it’s turn as a host of Football Championship Euro 2012. Therefore, it’s not clear to us, why a year and a half before the Championship starts in Ukraine and Poland we hear nothing from UEFA officials about the problem of prostitution, which is one of the most important in Ukraine. Where is the notorious social responsibility that UEFA declares, their care not only about football but also about social issues in the countries where UEFA carries out it’s activities.

It is a well known fact that within the frames of UEFA holds partnership with such organisations as: FARE (Football against Racism in Europe), project Terre des Hommes (fight against children exploiting and trafficking in Eastern Europe), International Red Chross etc. Why similar programmes are not set up in Ukraine to solve prostitution problem? Could it be a deliberate lack of attention, taking into consideration shadow incomes, especially during the period of such events as European Football Championship.

In fact the UEFA chosen passive attitude pushes hundred thousands of guests of Euro 2012 towards violation of Ukrainian laws and morals. These are be the guests of European Football Championship who will become the clients of Ukrainian prostitutes. At the same time Ukrainian authorities under the «national programme of infrastructure development» intend to avoid solving social issues during the process of preparation to the Championship.

We call to forget about economic intrigues, politics and we want to stop creating artificial positive image! We don’t want Euro 2012 by the cost of Ukrainian women’s lives and fates!

FEMEN Movement - Women Power

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