London, Oct 9 (ANI): In a bid to discourage Ukrainian women from getting caught up in the sex trade, altered Euro banknotes embellished with images of prostitutes are being used.

Since, sex trafficking is a serious problem in the Ukraine, the altered notes have been produced as part of a campaign to prevent women from the former Soviet state from seeking to work illegally in the EU, reports the Telegraph.

The images, which are otherwise almost identical to the genuine notes, show under-dressed women leaning against the grand examples of European architecture that have been printed on the currency’’s bills since its launch in 2002.

Across the top of the fake notes, messages warning about the real price of seeking blackmarket employment abroad are printed.

In 2007, the International Organization for Migration estimated that 117,000 Ukrainians had been forced into prostitution or indentured labour abroad since 1991, more than any other Eastern European country. (ANI)