The Lived Experiences of Ukrainian Female Migrants and Sex Work to Make Ends Meet: A Study Protocol

Ukrainian women migrants who moved to Canada to escape the 2022 escalation of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict face challenges to their integration into Canadian society due to their socio-economic vulnerability. As a result, some Ukrainian women find themselves in precarious situations, turning to sex work to make ends meet. Current literature primarily explores how sex work impacts a woman’s physical well-being but is lacking in providing a comprehensive understanding of the holistic effects of this profession on one’s well-being.

This article details a protocol for a qualitative study that aims to explore the multi-faceted lived experiences of Ukrainian women migrants engaging in sex work in Canada. The proposed study consists of two phases to capture the nuances of the studied phenomenon. Phase 1 employs a critical interpretative phenomenological approach to explore the experiences of study participants through individual semi-structured interviews. Phase 2 involves document analysis of relevant job advertisements on social media platforms to explore strategies used to lure Ukrainian women migrants into sex work in Canada.

This protocol outlines the study design to provide a comprehensive understanding of the research context. Ultimately, the study findings will aid in developing initiatives and policies to support this population and those with similar lived experiences.