Petition for decriminalization of porn gains 25,000 signatures
Kyiv • UNN
An electronic petition for the decriminalization of pornography, created by OnlyFans model Svitlana Dvornikova, has gathered over 25,000 signatures. The author calls on the President to support Bill No. 12191, which aims to legalize adult content through amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
An electronic petition on the website of the President of Ukraine, requesting the decriminalization of pornography, has gathered over 25,000 signatures. It was created by Svitlana Dvornikova, a model on the erotic content internet platform OnlyFans.
Details
The OnlyFans model posted a call to the President to legalize adult content in the country on June 27. And in less than a week, the initiative gained the necessary support.
The author of the petition asks the head of state to support Bill No. 12191 of November 11, 2024, "On Amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine Regarding the Improvement of Its Certain Provisions on Criminal Offenses Against Public Order and Morality."
This bill is a step towards justice, protection of human rights, and bringing our legislation in line with the standards of the civilized world, for which Ukraine is now shedding blood... My work is a voluntary exchange between adults who know what they want. All participants are adults, all act of their own free will. Where is the crime here? Who is the victim? Why is Article 301 effectively a machine for generating bribes?
She claims that over five years of activity on the OnlyFans platform, she has paid over 40 million hryvnias in taxes to the state budget. Despite this, criminal proceedings were initiated against her under Article 301 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine concerning the import, production, or distribution of pornography.
According to the model, during the investigation, law enforcement officers made it clear to her that the criminal case could be "closed" for a reward. She questions the legality of the accusations:
Our soldiers are dying for freedom, and our police are spending time and money on "controlled purchases" of erotic content at the expense of taxpayers. Each such operation means that the police were not investigating real crimes
The petition also states that in 2024 alone, 350 Ukrainian models working on the OnlyFans platform declared a total income of over 305 million hryvnias. Of this amount, 59 million hryvnias in taxes were paid to the state budget. According to the author, the platform itself transfers over 1 million dollars annually in taxes to the Ukrainian treasury.
Comparing the situation with other countries, the model emphasizes that in most EU countries, the production of erotic content among adults is not considered an offense. She calls for a review of Ukrainian legislation and to "join the civilized world."
Recall
In 2023, lawmakers announced the parliament's consideration of the bill "On Amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine Regarding Ensuring Freedom from Interference in a Person's Private Life." The draft included changes that were supposed to help decriminalize sexually explicit videos in Ukraine. However, that initiative never became a law of Ukraine.