June 3, 2020
To the attention of Mr. Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine,
Call to ban all forms of trade in children and women in the surrogacy industry
in Ukraine
Dear mr. Zelensky,
We, the undersigning organizations, have been made aware from international media of shocking pictures from one of the biggest fertility clinics in Ukraine. Newborn babies in large numbers screaming for care and cannot be picked up by foreign customers due to the countries’ closed borders during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The situation has revealed the massive global trade in children and women and underlined Ukraine’s obligations to sustain international conventions on the rights of children and women. We, the undersigning organizations, are demanding an immediate closure of the reproductive tourism and a ban on all forms of trade in children and women.
The United Nations Special Rapporteur has recognised surrogacy as the sale of children as defined in the Additional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The European Parliament has condemned the practice of surrogacy “which undermines the human dignity of the woman since her body and its reproductive functions are used as a commodity”. Furthermore, the European Parliament considers “that the practice of gestational surrogacy which involves reproductive exploitation and use of the human body for financial or other gain, in particular in the case of vulnerable women in developing countries, shall be prohibited and treated as a matter of urgency in human rights instruments.”
It is obvious that the current critical situation has been brought about by Ukraine’s permissive laws on surrogacy and lack of adequate public controls on this activity: clinics, lawyers and intermediaries who perform or contribute to it.
We trust that you share our great concern for the children and women affected in the trade and take all necessary measures to establish a regulation of the market aiming to ban all forms of trade in children and women for reproductive services.
Most respectfully,
| Abogada, Argentina |
| Abolitionist Assembly of Madrid, Spain |
| ABSA (Abolition Surrogacy Australia), Australia |
| Adavas, Spain |
| Aefi. Asociación Escuela de feminismo e igualdad, Spain |
| AGEICU Asociación para la gestión igualitaria de la cultura, Spain |
| Alberta Radical Feminists, Canada |
| AMCV, Portugal |
| AMECO, Spain |
| Amicale du Nid, France |
| Anti-Pornography-and-Prostitution Research Group (APP), Japan |
| APP, Japan |
| ARCILESBICA, Italy |
| Asociación de Mujeres Clara Campoamor de Orihuela, Spain |
| Asociación de Mujeres Juristas Themis, Spain |
| Asociación Feminista Tiemar, Spain |
| Assemblée des femmes, France |
| Association for nonviolent communication, Slovenia |
| Association SOS Help-line for Women and Chlidren – Victims of Violence, Slovenia |
| Associazione Aura, Italy |
| Autonomous Women’s Center, Serbia |
| Breaking Free, United States |
| Bulgarian Platform – European Women’s Lobby, Bulgaria |
| Butterfly, Sweden |
| CADAC, France |
| Campaña argentina por el reconocimiento de los derechos de las mujeres en base al sexo, Argentina |
| Canadian Women’s Declaration, Canada |
| CAP international, France |
| Ccf, France |
| Center for support and development od civil society “DOLPHIN”, Croatia |
| Centre Evolutif Lilith, association Lesbienne Féministe, France |
| Centre for Women War Victims – ROSA, Croatia |
| Centro de Orientación Pedagógica, S. C., Mexico |
| Charles University, Czech Republic |
| Chus, Spain |
| ICASM – CIAMS,International Coalition for the Abolition of Surrogate Motherhood, France |
| CiMTM, Spain |
| Clergeaud, France |
| Click Off, United Kingdom |
| Cndf, France |
| Coalición Regional contra el Tráfico de Mujeres y Niñas en América Latina y el Caribe, A.C., Mexico |
| Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW), United States |
| Coalition Against Trafficking in Women Asia Pacific, Philipines |
| Collectif pour le Respect de la Personne (CoRP), France |
| Comisión para la Investigación de Malos Tratos a Mujeres, Spain |
| Compi, Spain |
| Compucom, Colombia |
| Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, United States |
| CooLabora – Intervenção Social, Portugal |
| Coordination of Women’s Groups SEKA, Croatia |
| CQFD Lesbiennes féministes, France |
| Dominoes /Domine, Croatia |
| Donatina Persichetti, Italia |
| Društvo SOS telefon, Slovenia |
| Edmonton Small Press Association, Canada |
| Edmonton Women & Allies Against the Sex Industry (EWAASI), Canada |
| EHULEAK-CIMTM NAVARRA, Spain |
| ELCEM – Elus Locaux Contre l’Enfance Maltraitée, France |
| EOS – Association for Studies, Cooperation and Development, Portugal |
| Equality Now, Global |
| ESMULES, El Salvador, CA |
| Estonian Women’s Associtions Roundtable, Estonia |
| European Network of Migrant Women, EU |
| European Observatory for Non-Discrimination and Fundamental Rights, France |
| Féminismeet révolution |
| Feminist no to surrogacy, Sweden |
| Feminista Argentina, Argentina |
| Feministas distrito Salamanca, Spain |
| Femmes pour le Dire, Femmes pour Agir, France |
| FINRRAGE (Feminist International Network of Resistance to Reproductive and Genetic Engineering, Australia |
| FONDATION SCELLES, France |
| Foro de Politica Feminista, Spain |
| Forum Feminista de Madrid, Spain |
| Forum Femmes MEDITERRANEE, France |
| Forum Femmes Méditerranée, France |
| Fredrika Bremer-förbundet, Sweden |
| Frente Feminista Radical – Perú, Peru |
| Frente por la abolición de la prostitución, Spain |
| FRESA, Chile |
| Front Abolicionista, Spain |
| Fundació Aroa, Spain |
| Fundacion Mar de Niebla, Spain |
| Fundacja Kobieca eFKa, Poland |
| FYME, Spain |
| Födelsehuset, Sweden |
| Föreningen Tillsammans, Sweden |
| Gröna Kvinnor/Green Women, Sweden |
| Hand in Hand for Women, Sweden |
| Hungarian Women’s Lobby, Hungary |
| IKF Stockholm, Sweden |
| IN BONA FIDE, Croatia |
| In my own, Spain |
| Iniciativa Proequidad, Colombia |
| Insamlingsstiftelsen WONSA, Sweden |
| International Alliance of Women (IAW), United Kingdom |
| International Coalition for the Abolition of Surrogate Motherhood, Int |
| Isala asbl, Beligum |
| Italian Coordination of the European Women’s Lobby, Italy |
| JOL-LET (Well-Being) Foundation, Hungary |
| JSC, Spain |
| Judith Trust, United Kingdom |
| KOFRA, Germany |
| KSAN /WOCAD Womens´Organisations Committee on Alcohol and Drug Issues, Sweden |
| Kvinnlig Prioritet, Sweden |
| Kvinnliga läkares Förening, (Swedish Medical Women´s Association), Sweden |
| La humanidad, Spain |
| La Voix des Femmes, Belgium |
| La Volaera, Spain |
| Laboratorio del Amor, Spain |
| LEM-España, Spain |
| Libreria delle donne di Milano, Italy |
| LIBRES MARIANNES, France |
| Libushe, Czech Republic |
| Ligue du droit International des Femmes, France |
| Lithuanian Women’s Lobby organization, Lithuania |
| Łódzkie Dziewuchy Dziewuchom, Poland |
| London Abused Women’s Centre, Canada |
| Madradfem, Spain |
| Maison des Femmes de Paris, France |
| Malta Women’s Lobby, Malta |
| Malta Women’s Lobby, Malta |
| Marburger Buergerinitiatibe bi-gegen-bordell, Germany |
| Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies, Cyprus |
| Missing Persons` Families Support Center, Lithuania |
| Mouvement du Nid, France |
| Mujeres Abolicionistas Canarias, Spain |
| Mujeres para la Salud, Spain |
| Mujeres por la Salud y la Paz, Spain |
| National Association against Trafficking in Human Beings, Lithuania |
| National Organization for Women, United States |
| NAWO – National Alliance of Women’s Organisations, United Kingdom |
| Network of East-West Women, Poland |
| NGO Democracy Development Center, Ukraine |
| Ninguna, Spain |
| Nueva Luna A.C, Mexico |
| Observatoire féministe des violences faites aux femmes, Belgium |
| OLF, France |
| Osez le féminisme!, France |
| Paramédicos de catástrofe Internacional -PCI, Portugal |
| Particular, Spain |
| Partido Feminista de España en el País valenciano, Spain |
| Paula Fraga, Spain |
| PCF, France |
| Plataforma Abolicionista Canaria, Spain |
| Plataforma catalana de suport al lobby europeu de dones, Spain |
| Plataforma Navarra de mujeres por la abolición de la prostitución, Spain |
| PO Klaipeda Social and Psychological Support Centre, Lithuania |
| Polo Pascual, Spain |
| Por la senda violeta, Spain |
| Portuguese Association for the Rights of Women in Pregnancy and Childbirth, Portugal |
| Portuguese Platform for Women’s Rights, Portugal |
| Posada Las Quintas, Spain |
| Pour les Droits des Femmes du Québec, Canada |
| PSOE, Spain |
| Qjouren, Sweden |
| Radfem españa, Colombia |
| Red Provida, Colombia |
| Regards de Femmes, France |
| Réseau féministe “Ruptures”, France |
| Resistenza Femminista, Italy |
| Réussir l égalité femmes-hommes, France |
| Reyes Rodriguez Suarez, Spain |
| Riksorganisationen för kvinnojourer och tjejjourer i Sverige, Sweden |
| Roberto Plaza Martinez, Spain |
| RUA Resistenza Utero in Affitto, Italy |
| Se Non Ora Quando Libere, Italy |
| Senonoraquando Genova, Italy |
| SISTERS – für den Ausstieg aus der Prostitution, Germany |
| Societatea de Analize Feministe AnA, Romania |
| SOLWODI Deutschland e.V., Germany |
| SOS, Slovenia |
| SPACE International, Ireland |
| St.Petersburg State University, Russia |
| Stockholms UNA, Sweden |
| Stop Vientres de Alquiler, Spain |
| Stopp Sexkauf Austria, Austria |
| Survivor exit foundation, South Africa |
| Swedish Korean adoptees Network, Sweden |
| Swedish Women’s Lobby, Sweden |
| Svenska Kvinnors Europa Nätverk – SKEN, Sweden |
| TERRE DES FEMMES e.V., Germany |
| The nia project, United Kingdom |
| THEMIS-MUJERES JURISTAS, Spain |
| Tokyo Denki University, Japan |
| Ung Vänster, Sweden |
| Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Peru |
| Unizon, Sweden |
| WHRC Spain, Spain |
| Winnet Sverige, Sweden |
| Women Lobby Slovenia, Slovenia |
| women@thewell, United Kingdom |
| Women’s Association “IZVOR”, Croatia |
| Women’s Guild NSW, Australia |
| Women’s association Vukovar, Croatia |
| Women’s Baltic Peacebuildning Initiative, Sweden |
| Women’s Front of Norway, Norway |
| Women’s Network of Croatia, Croatia |
| Young Greens in Sweden, Sweden |
| 俵藤 法子, 日本 |