In Lviv, an indictment has been submitted to court against two biological sisters from Zhytomyr region, who are accused of sexually exploiting a minor girl and running an erotic massage parlour in the historic centre of the city.
According to the investigation, the women, aged 31 and 34, set up a brothel – a so‑called erotic massage parlour where clients were provided with paid sexual services. Among the establishment’s workers was also a minor girl who at that time had not yet turned 18.
The investigation established that one of the sisters, knowing about the girl’s difficult life circumstances and the fact that she was supporting her seriously ill mother, persuaded her to work at the parlour and provide paid sexual services to men, thereby drawing her into unlawful activity.
The offences were uncovered by officers of the Migration Police Department together with investigators from the investigative department of the Lviv region police, under the procedural supervision of the Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office. The pre-trial investigation has been completed, and the case file has been submitted to court for substantive consideration.
The elder sister has been charged under Part 2 of Article 149 (trafficking in human beings), Part 3 of Article 302 (running or maintaining a brothel and procuring) and Part 2 of Article 303 (pimping or involving a person in prostitution) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. She faces up to 12 years’ imprisonment with confiscation of property. The younger sister is accused under Part 3 of Article 302 and Part 2 of Article 303 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine; the penalty envisaged is imprisonment for a term of up to seven years.