Natasha (35) was born in Arkhangelesk, northern Russia, has had various jobs since the age of 14. She has had problems with alcohol addiction, and has been working in the sex industry for 12 years. After recent gynecological operation, she rested only several weeks before having to work again to pay for medication and rent.

Asya (30) moved to St Petersburg from Vladivostok in 2013. After dropping out of a course in mechanical engineering and going through a number of jobs, she ended up working as a janitor. Because the pay was so low, she sought work in the sex trade.

Alice (27) is a single mother who has been working in the sex industry for ten years, after dropping out of a fashion design course at college. She has frequently experienced police raids, criminal attacks, and violence from clients.

Alena (33) was born in Ukraine and raised in an orphanage. She moved from Donetsk to St Petersburg after the war in Ukraine, thinking that she was being offered work as an administrator in a brothel, only to find that the job was as a sex worker.

Recently widowed, Elena (53) worked as an instrument mechanic for 25 years, before being fired because she was ‘too old’ for the job. Lacking any other financial support, she has worked in the sex industry for five years, after being recommended to it by a friend.

Lily (25) is a divorced single mother with one child, and has a degree in production management. Her former husband took out a bank loan in Lily’s name to start a car repair business, which was not successful. When the couple separated and he refused to pay back the loan, Lily started work in a brothel to meet the payments, and also to buy food and pay the rent.

Zhenya (37) is a single mother with a degree in sports management. She has worked in the sex industry since 2015, when she was left with no financial support following her divorce.

Maya (24) was born in Bashkortostan, part of the Russian Federation, and after graduating with a qualification in sociology held numerous jobs before moving to St Petersburg, where she began work in a sex shop. Unable to live on the low salary, she became a sex worker.

Linda (37) is a single mother with a degree in economics. In 2010 she took out a bank loan for more than €5,500 to start a business, but when the business failed she ran into trouble with repayments, and began working in a brothel to earn more money.

A single mother, Vera (45) worked for 20 years as a cook and then in the construction industry. When her son was diagnosed with schizophrenia, she began looking for work that would bring in more money and applied for a job as a ‘club administrator’. The ‘club’ turned out to be a sauna offering sex services on request. Vera accepted the job offer, and has been working in the industry for two years.

Environment,2nd prize

Attack of the Zombie Mouse