Anna Hutsol Ганна Гуцол | |
|---|---|
 Hutsol in 2014 | |
| Born | 16 October 1984 |
| Occupation | Activist |
| Years active | 2008–present |
Anna Hutsol [a 1] (Anna Vasylivna Hutsol; [1] born 16 October 1984 [2] ) is a Ukrainian activist and one of the founders of the radical feminist activist group FEMEN.
Hutsol was born in Russia but moved to Ukraine with her parents in 1991. [3] [a 2] She is an economist [4] and a former assistant to singer Tina Karol. [5]
Hutsol founded FEMEN in 2008 after she became attuned to the sad stories of Ukrainian women duped by false promises from abroad: [6] "I set up FEMEN because I realised that there was a lack of women activists in our society; Ukraine is male-oriented and women take a passive role." [7] According to Hutsol the skills she acquired during her time with Tina Karol have helped FEMEN's "public relations". [5] FEMEN's main choice of action is topless demonstrations. [8] The group started protesting against prostitution in Ukraine [9] [10] and broadened their agenda to women's rights and civil rights in Ukraine and around the world.[ citation needed ]
Hutsol wanted to seek representation for FEMEN in the Verkhovna Rada in January 2011; [11] but FEMEN did not take part in the October 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election. [12] [13]
On 16 November 2012 Hutsol was detained by the Federal Security Service (FSB) of the Russian Federation at Pulkovo Airport in Saint Petersburg as a person barred from entering Russia. [14] [15] She was deported back to her point of departure Paris. [14]
Late August 2013 Shevchenko and several fellow FEMEN-members have fled out of Ukraine fearing for their lives and freedom. [16] [17] [18] Hutsol requested for asylum in Switzerland in 2013, but the authorities rejected her request on 27 March 2014. [19]
Artemis is one of the largest brothels in Germany, where prostitution and brothels are legal and widespread. The "wellness" brothel opened in Berlin in September 2005, a four-story building complete with a pool, three saunas, two cinemas, and with room for up to 70 prostitutes and 600 customers.
Human rights in Ukraine concern the fundamental rights of every person in Ukraine. Between 2017 and 2022, Freedom House has given Ukraine ratings from 60 to 62 on its 100-point scale, and a "partly free" overall rating. Ratings on electoral processes have generally been good, but there are problems with corruption and due process. Its rating later declined in 2023 due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine which led to the enactment of martial law in Ukraine as well as a labor code that removed many legal protection for employees and small and medium-sized companies as well as a law that that increased the government's power to regulate media companies and journalism. Since the beginning of the invasion Russia has engaged in various war crimes against Ukrainian civilians and the invasion has had a major humanitarian impact on Ukraine and it's citizens.
Nudity is sometimes used as a tactic during a protest to attract media and public attention to a cause, and sometimes promotion of public nudity is itself the objective of a nude protest. The practice was first documented in the 1650s with Quakers "naked as a sign" practice. Later the tactic was used by svobodniki in Canada in 1903, and photographs of their nude protests have been published. The tactic has been used by other groups later in the century, especially after the 1960s. Like public nudity in general, the cultural and legal acceptance of nudity as a tactic in protest also varies around the world. Some opponents of any public nudity claim that it is indecent, especially when it can be viewed by children; while others argue that it is a legitimate form of expression covered by the right to free speech.
Prostitution in Ukraine is illegal but widespread and largely ignored by the government. In recent times, Ukraine has become a popular prostitution and sex trafficking destination. Ukraine is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children trafficked transnationally for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation. Ukraine's dissolution from the Soviet Union, saw the nation attempt to transition from a planned economy to a market economy. The transition process inflicted economic hardship in the nation, with nearly 80% of the population forced into poverty in the decade that followed its independence. Unemployment in Ukraine was growing at an increasing rate, with female unemployment rising to 64% by 1997. The economic decline in Ukraine made the nation vulnerable and forced many to depend on prostitution and trafficking as a source of income. Sex tourism rose as the country attracted greater numbers of foreign tourists.
Women in Ukraine have equal constitutional rights as men in the economic, political, cultural, and social fields, as well as in the family.
Femen is a Ukrainian radical feminist activist group whose goal is to protect women's rights. The organization became internationally known for organizing controversial topless protests against sex tourism, religious institutions, sexism, homophobia, and other social, national, and international topics. Founded in Ukraine, the group is now based in France. Femen describes its ideology as being "sextremism, atheism and feminism".
Olha Vadymivna Bohomolets is a Ukrainian physician, singer and songwriter. She is an honoured Doctor of Ukraine, the founder and chief doctor of the Institute of Dermatology and Cosmetology.
FEMEN France is the French branch of FEMEN, a feminist protest group founded in Ukraine in 2008 and famous for organizing topless protests. In October 2013 FEMEN had its largest membership in France. As of early January 2013, the organization consisted of 30 local activists. The only Ukrainians regularly present were Oksana Shachko and Inna Shevchenko.
Inna Shevchenko is a Ukrainian feminist activist and the leader of international women's movement FEMEN, which often demonstrates topless against what they perceive as manifestations of patriarchy, especially dictatorship, religion, and the sex industry. Shevchenko has a higher profile than the other members of the group. She was the leader of the three FEMEN activists reputedly kidnapped and threatened by the Belarus KGB in 2011. She achieved attention in Ukraine by cutting with a chainsaw and then bringing down a 4-metre high Christian cross in central Kyiv in 2012.
Olexandra Shevchenko is a member of the Ukrainian radical feminist protest group FEMEN, which regularly demonstrates topless against manifestations of patriarchy, dictatorship, religion, and the sex industry.
Oksana Shachko was a Ukrainian artist and activist. Along with Anna Hutsol and Alexandra Shevchenko, she was one of the founders of the radical feminist activist group Femen, which publicly demonstrates in various countries against sexual exploitation, income inequality, and policies of the Roman Catholic Church, among other causes.
Euromaidan, or the Maidan Uprising, was a wave of demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began on 21 November 2013 with large protests in Maidan Nezalezhnosti in Kyiv. The protests were sparked by President Viktor Yanukovych's sudden decision not to sign the European Union–Ukraine Association Agreement, instead choosing closer ties to Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union. Ukraine's parliament had overwhelmingly approved of finalizing the Agreement with the EU, but Russia had put pressure on Ukraine to reject it. The scope of the protests widened, with calls for the resignation of Yanukovych and the Azarov government. Protesters opposed what they saw as widespread government corruption, abuse of power, human rights violations, and the influence of oligarchs. Transparency International named Yanukovych as the top example of corruption in the world. The violent dispersal of protesters on 30 November caused further anger. Euromaidan led to the 2014 Revolution of Dignity.
The Mezhyhirya Residence is an estate in Ukraine where Viktor Yanukovych lived when he was Prime Minister and then President of Ukraine and is now a museum displaying Yanukovych's luxurious lifestyle. Yanukovych lived in the estate from 2002, when he first became Prime Minister, to 21 February 2014, when he fled the country during the Revolution of Dignity.
Democratic Alliance is a pro-European political party in Ukraine, registered in September 2011, formed on a basis of an anti-corruption platform and Young Christian Democrats of Ukraine NGO.
Tetiana Mykolaivna Chornovol is a Ukrainian journalist and civic activist, and one of the leaders in the Euromaidan protest campaign. She is known for investigative reports about corruption in Ukraine, as well as for her direct actions. In 2014, she was elected to the Verkhovna Rada.
Amina Tyler is a Tunisian student, women's rights activist, anarchist and a former member of the feminist group Femen.
Ukraine Is Not a Brothel is a 2013 Australian documentary film directed by Kitty Green. The film debuted at the 70th Venice International Film Festival, although it was not part of the competition. The documentary concerns the FEMEN (Фемен) movement, a feminist protest group originating from Ukraine.
Josephine Witt is a German activist and former member of the feminist group FEMEN.
Iana (Yana) Zhdanova is a Ukrainian feminist and social activist who since the 2000s has been a leading member of the radical feminist protest group FEMEN. The movement became known for organizing controversial bare-breasted protests against inequality between men and women, prostitution, sex industry, dictatorship, homophobia and other political and social issues.
Olena Olehivna Shevchenko is a Ukrainian women's and LGBT rights activist. After working as a teacher, she co-founded the NGO Insight in 2007 to advocate for LGBT inclusiveness on feminist platforms. She started annual events including Women's Day March, Transgender Day of Remembrance and the Festival of Equality, to protest against discrimination against women and the LGBT community in Ukraine and in other former Soviet countries. Her opponents have repeatedly attacked her and her events.
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