Key facts
- Ukraine's parliament voted to support a bill to decriminalize pornography in its first reading.
- The current law imposes fines up to Hr 85,000 ($1,800) or seven years in jail for creating adult content.
- Proponents estimate that regulating the industry could generate tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue.
- Law enforcement allegedly uses the ban to extort money from adult content creators, with bribes ranging from $200 to $30,000.
- Over 1,400 cases were opened under the pornography article of the Criminal Code last year.
- Opposition, including former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, argues against decriminalization on moral grounds.
Ukraine's parliament has taken a step towards decriminalizing pornography, a move that proponents argue could significantly boost the country's war funding through tax revenues and reduce corruption. The bill, which passed its first reading with 231 votes, aims to end the legal precarity faced by an estimated 15,000 adult content creators in Ukraine.
Under current laws, individuals involved in creating or distributing pornography face fines up to Hr 85,000 ($1,800) or imprisonment for up to seven years. This has led to a climate of fear among models, with many reporting instances of law enforcement demanding bribes or using the law for extortion. Last year alone, prosecutors initiated over 1,400 cases under the pornography article of the Criminal Code.
Supporters, including lawyer Lesya Mykhailenko and Head of the State Tax Service Danylo Hetmantsev, believe that legalization would not only protect creators but also unlock substantial tax revenues. They estimate that earnings from platforms like OnlyFans could generate tens of millions of dollars if regulated. Some models have already paid significant back taxes, totaling 115 million hryvnias ($2.5 million), after coming under scrutiny.
However, the path to legalization is not smooth. Ukraine remains a conservative society, and the draft law has faced previous setbacks. Strong opposition exists, with former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko arguing that decriminalization would demoralize society. Policy expert Ihor Samokhodskyi noted that the current law can be used to persecute individuals, echoing practices from the Soviet era.
Lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak has been a leading advocate for the bill, emphasizing the need to remove a source of corruption from law enforcement agencies. He highlighted that Ukrainian creators earned an estimated $123 million on OnlyFans between 2020 and 2022, representing a significant potential tax base.
Despite the first reading's success, a final second reading is necessary, and its passage is not guaranteed. The effectiveness of the reform will depend on the final text of the bill and its eventual signing by the president.