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Category: Analytics

18.11.20

Right to Protection CF brings your attention to our report «CROSSING THE CONTACT LINE: October 2020 Snapshot», prepared on the basis of data collected during the monitoring of the situation at the demarcation line. More data on the following topic.

General trends and dynamics

  • During the whole month, it was possible to cross the demarcation line only through two control checkpoints (hereinafter – CC). This led to a significant reduction in the number of crossings compared to the period before the introduction of quarantine restrictions. The number of crossings decreased by ≈77% in October compared to September, due to the closure of the Stanytsia Luhanska checkpoint: ≈20,000 and 86,000 crossings, respectively;
  • From September 30 to October 4, the crossing was temporarily suspended at the Stanytsia Luhanska checkpoint in the Luhansk region due to large-scale forest fires. As a result of the fire at the CC on September 30 and October 1, the first aid post and the waiting areas at the checkpoint were partially damaged. All beneficiaries waiting to cross the demarcation line were evacuated in a timely manner;
  • On October 13, the Special Forces Operation Command (further – SFO) announced that they would temporarily close the Stanytsia Luhanska checkpoint between October 16 and 31 due to the increasingly rapid spread of COVID-19 in the Luhansk region. Since the closure of the following checkpoint until the end of October, only about 200 people have received permission from the SFO to cross the demarcation line towards the government controlled territories of Ukraine (further – CTU);
  • The day after the Stanytsia Luhanska checkpoint closed, people gathered to cross the demarcation line towards the uncontrolled territory of Ukraine (further – UCTU): in many cases, people claimed that they had not been informed about the closure of the checkpoint. Some people stayed overnight at the checkpoint, waiting to be able to cross the demarcation line towards the UCTU because they were not provided with housing. In addition, there were many elderly people over the age of 80;
  • On October 28, the SFO Command announced that the closure of the Stanytsia Luhanska checkpoint would last until November 15;
  • From October 5 to 15, 3,574 vulnerable elderly people received assistance in transportation to the Stanytsia Luhanska checkpoint from the NGO Proliska.

The document can be downloaded in:

English and Ukrainian.

The report contains information collected by the Right to Protection as part of a survey, conducted regularly since June 2017. CCs are located in Donetsk (Mayorske, Maryinka, Hnutove and Novotroitske) and Luhansk (Stanytsia Luhanska) regions. The survey is part of the monitoring of violations of the rights of the population affected by the conflict and is conducted within the project «Advocacy, Protection and Legal Assistance to Internally Displaced Persons of Ukraine» implemented by the Right to Protection CF with the support of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The purpose of this survey is to find out the reasons, conditions and risks that accompany the crossing of the line of contact through the control checkpoints. The information gathered during the survey will help identify needs, gaps and trends, as well as provide an evidence base for advocacy activities.

18.11.20

The increase in the number of recorded cases of gender-based and domestic violence in time of quarantine restrictions has become a widely spread phenomenon. Civil society organizations around the world have repeatedly emphasized the particular vulnerability of women locked up at home. The team of the Right to Protection CF decided to find out whether similar trends are observed in the territory along the demarcation line.

The study was conducted in Bakhmut, Volnovakha, Yasynuvata  and Toretsk districts Civil-military administrations of Donetsk region and in Popasna district in Luhansk region. Our monitoring unit provided information from five police stations, six social service centers (hereinafter referred to as the SSC or the center) and five mobile social and psychological support teams (hereinafter referred to as the MSPST or the brigade). In addition, statistics obtained through requests for public information were analyzed. The primary description of the informants’ activities was their own interpretation, which, if necessary, was expanded or clarified by normative documents.

DYNAMICS

Of course, statistics may not reflect the real situation, as not all cases become known. In addition, the dynamics may be affected by a large-scale information campaign recently conducted in the region. However, the data may indicate certain trends, especially in law enforcement. The current reporting in Ukraine is mostly about domestic violence, so we will use this term later.

According to the Department of Family, Youth and Mass Events in Donetsk region, the number of complaints in the first nine months of 2020 has already significantly exceeded the figures for the whole 12 month of 2019. A similar situation, according to the Department of Social Protection, was observed in the Luhansk region. It is noteworthy that the share of appeals from women in the Luhansk region is lower (78–82% vs. 91–92% in the neighboring region), while men complain more often (16–21% vs. 7–9%).

INFORMANTS

Regions have a well-developed institutional system for combating and preventing domestic and gender-based violence: from policy specialists at the local community level to regional coordinating bodies. We have focused on only a few of them. The most important source was the National Police of Ukraine, which receives the vast majority of complaints and has a number of tools at its disposal, including:

a) drawing up a report on an administrative offense under Article 173-2 of the Code of Administrative Offenses with a sanction in the form of a fine, community service or administrative arrest;

b) issuance of urgent injunctions for 10 days (for longer restriction in court);

c) taking offenders for preventive registration;

d) opening a criminal case (for example, after three violations of the prohibition order).

Comparative statistics (see Table 1) not only illustrate the general upward trend, but also the specifics of police practices. In particular, the Toretsk branch attracts attention with an extraordinary increase in all indicators. It can also be observed that in the Donetsk region police officers are becoming more and more accustomed to drafting prohibitive orders, sometimes with a 23-fold increase, while in the Luhansk region they continue to ignore this tool.

As for the centers of social services, they formulate their activities as such, which includes prevention (including relapses), outreach, psychological, primary legal and social counseling, as well as social support for families in difficult life circumstances. Mobile social and psychological support teams, in addition to the above, carry out scheduled visits and emergency interventions in case of threat to life or health of victims. The brigades serving the territories of the Toretsk Civil-military administration, Bakhmut and Volnovakha districts operate with the support of international donors, the other two are affiliated with social service centers. Although the number of appeals to centers and teams is lower than to the police, these organizations can still expand their understanding of the problem with their perspective on it.

Victims of domestic violence can also turn to secondary legal aid centers, which, however, do not seem to be popular, day care centers and shelters (Slovyansk, Druzhkivka, Rubizhne, Mariupol, etc.), and emergency anonymous medical care offices, which are usually deployed on the basis of gynecological departments of hospitals.

FIELD OBSERVATIONS

General situation

According to the respondents, the most common type of violence they face is psychological (humiliation, harassment, blackmail and manipulation). Physical violence was also mentioned, but almost never first. As explained by one of the respondents, people are not inclined to report such cases, or withdraw statements later. In some cases, they also referred to economic violence, explaining it as concealment of earnings or individual financial decisions.

Among the main factors of domestic violence, informants called high unemployment and alcohol abuse. Quarantine restrictions have added to the escalation of domestic conflicts. In addition, during the pandemic, victims were more likely to continue to live with offenders. Another factor in abuse is low awareness of one’s rights and protection mechanisms. The Toretsk Civil-military administration also pointed to the prevalence of violence in families with ATO/ JFO veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Institutional interaction

Typically, social service centers and mobile teams report cases of domestic violence to the police if (1) the victim is a minor or incapacitated, if (2) the violence is criminal in nature, or (3) with the consent of the victim. For example, a mobile team in Popasna reports all cases of physical violence. The police may also involve mobile teams and centers if necessary.

Reaction

Mobile crews make trips in case of threat to life or health, the response time varies from 20 minutes in Bakhmut city and district, to 3 hours in Popasna district. During the monitoring, only the crews in Bakhmut and Volnovakha continued to visit.

According to police, they react faster: within 15 minutes in the city and up to 45 minutes in rural areas. Patrol police units, representatives of the operative-investigative department or precinct officers usually go to the appeal.

Features of National Police law enforcement

The number of messages, as expected, does not match the number of compiled protocols. This is explained by the refusals of the victims to write statements. Some sources in police believe that legal sanctions are not an effective way to solve the problem, so they focus on resolving the conflict through conversations with the parties. They also find it a dead end to fine violators who are unable to pay due to lack of funds, thus committing another offense. The issue of unregulated location of the offender during the validity of the injunction was raised, which in some cases may raise doubts about the feasibility of its preparation. In Avdiivka, they noted: the fact that the offender has nowhere to go may well play in his favor, because the victims are more likely to forgive him and allow him to return. Police in the Volnovakha department complain about opposition from the prosecutor’s office, which requires them to conduct criminal investigations, while the nearest center is located in Slovyansk.

Impact of quarantine

Social service centers recorded a jump in the number of appeals and services provided: more consultations in Bakhmut and it’s district, increased attention to social support, focus on information and prevention programs in Bakhmut and Yasynuvata district. For the most part, the centers have switched to telephone or online counseling. Although the Toretsk Center has stopped receiving visits, in Volnovakha consultations are held in the open air.

Similarly, quarantine has affected the functioning of mobile teams: most of them work online or by phone. At the same time, not all cases of violence can be identified, because (1) some people prefer “live” communication, (2) temporarily suspended monitoring visits.

The police did not indicate any significant changes in their work, except for greater attention to preventive measures in Avdiivka and an increase in the number of appeals and urgent instructions issued in the Bakhmut department.

Alleged obstacles to countering and preventing violence

  1. Lack of a crisis center for women (shelter) in Bakhmut and Avdiivka.
  2. Lack of a mother and child center in Toretsk.
  3. Lack of staff: psychologist (Toretsk SSC), lawyer (Bakhmut district brigade), police officers in Volnovakha department and Toretsky department.
  4. Absence or lack of vehicles and fuel (Toretsk, Volnovakha, Popasna SSC; Bakhmut district brigade; Volnovakha department of NPU).
  5. Lack of means of self-defense in mobile teams in cases of collision with aggressive or drugged offenders.
  6. Low police awareness of the use of restraining orders.
  7. Lack of effective means and tools to work with malicious offenders in centers and teams.
  8. Lack of transport connection between Avdiivka and the court in Selydove.

This material was made possible by the significant support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Responsibility for the content rests on Right to Protection CF and does not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the Government of the United States.

It is important for us to receive feedback on this material, especially from government officials and NGOs. Please fill out this short form. It will take less than a minute of your time. Thank you!

06.11.20

How to reduce the chances of emergency situations in Eastern Ukraine?

The 3P Consortium knows how. Being established in 2019 specifically for this purpose by the group of Ukrainian and international non-governmental organizations: ACTED, IMPACT Initiatives, Right to Protection CF, Danish, Austrian and Ukrainian Red Cross, 3P works everyday to reduce environmental and man-made risks and to prevent emergencies. Project is funded by the European Union within the framework of Disaster Risk Reduction in Eastern Ukraine project

It is high time to talk about the achievements of the Consortium in the third quarter of 2020!

Click to download the .pdf Risk Reduction Consortium newsletter in English

30.10.20

On October 29, 2020 at 12:30, a roundtable «Risks and Protection: Legislation and Practice» was held at Ukrinform.

Discussion was organized by the Right to Protection Charitable Foundation within the framework of the European Union-funded Disaster Risk Reduction project in Eastern Ukraine and implemented by the #3P Consortium.

The roundtable was attended by governmental representatives and members of parliament, military-civil administrations, employees of state enterprises* . Legal Analyst at Right to Protection CF Anastasia Bondarenko was a moderator at the event.

Risks and Protection: Legislation and Practice round table

A number of important issues were discussed during the four-hour conference, including:

  • Increasing the population’s readiness for risks with the help of legal instruments;
  • The role of local self-government in preparing the population for emergencies;
  • Challenges in the processes of increasing the readiness of the population in the context of decentralization reform;
  • Environmental and man-made risk management in Donbas Region.

In addition to the thematic discussion, the White Paper was presented – an analytical document developed by experts from the 3P Consortium, which offers practical recommendations for public authorities for refinements and additions to the Unified State Civil Protection System of Ukraine.

White Paper was presented – an analytical document developed by experts from the 3P Consortium

Click the links below to download electronic versions of all the above-mentioned documents:

WHITE BOOK (IN UKRAINIAN AND ENGLISH)

ANALYTICAL REPORTS (IN UKRAINIAN AND ENGLISH)

During the discussion of the Lesya Vasylenko, Deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Climate Change and Atmospheric Air Protection of the Verkhovna Rada noted about the serious problems with mines in the occupied territories, namely that facilities pose a real threat and can cause a humanitarian catastrophe due to their uncontrolled flooding.

«We need to consistently collect information about the quality of soil, air and water. This should be done not just once in a few years, or when international funding is received, but systematically, on a regular basis. … In order to make environmental projects work we need to ensure the existence of special site, where topics on ecological safety of whole Donbas region will be discussed»

– Ms. Vasylenko said.

Deputy also invited all those who were present at the event to the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management hearings, which will be on November 10, 2020 in Zoom video conference format..

Taras Polishchuk, Head of the Technological Safety Department of the Department for Emergency Prevention, pointed on the importance of promoting the idea of mandatory insurance for all the enterprises, which pose technological risks.

«Ukrainian insurance sector just does not work when it comes to the safety of facilities. For example, in European countries all such facilities have obligations to insure for emergency cases, so they are afraid to do anything that can potentially yield any harm to ecology»

– said Mr. Polishchuk.

Recording of the whole discussion is available on YouTube

* Complete list of participants of the round table: 

Lesya Vasylenko – Deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Climate Change and Atmospheric Air Protection of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management; 

Anastasia Bondarenko – legal analyst of the Right to Protection Charitable Foundation, moderator; 

Anna Cherkasova – Chief Ecologist of the MCA in Toretsk; 

Oleksandr Ashchaulov – Deputy General Director for Labor Protection of Toretskvugillya State Enterprise; 

Taras Polishchuk – Head of Technogenic Safety Department, Department of Emergency Prevention; 

Oleksandr Leshchenko – Deputy Director of the Department – Head of the Department for Protection of Population and Territories, Department for the Organization of Civil Protection Measures; 

Bohdan Danyliuk – Deputy Head of the Operational Duty Service and Preparedness of Control Points, Emergency Response Department; 

Maksym Ivanov – Deputy Head of the Civil Protection Department of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Luhansk Oblast; 

Serhiy Andriychuk – Chief Specialist for Defense Work, Civil Defense and Law Enforcement Interaction, Popasna Regional State Administration; 

Oleksiy Babchenko – Head of the Military-Civil Administration of Zolote and Katerynivka village in Popasna district, Luhansk region; representative of the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources of Ukraine.

29.10.20

On September 2, 2020, the Verkhovna Rada adopted the draft Law on Administrative Procedure № 3475 dated 14.05.2020 in the first reading.  The Right to Protection CF considers it appropriate to provide the Committee with its analysis of the draft law and recommendations on the preparation of the draft for the second reading.

General caveats

Right to Protection CF considers that some of the project proposals are appropriate and can improve the realization of the rights and legitimate interests of individuals and legal entities in relations with the state. Such proposals should include the consolidation of the presumption of legality of actions and requirements of the person in Art. 15 of the draft, the obligation of the administrative body to collect evidence independently and not to transfer this obligation to the applicant in Art. 16 of the draft, detailing the requirements for the administrative act in Art.  67 of the draft, fixing the possibility to declare an administrative act invalid in Art. 85, etc.

In general, the creation of a unified procedure for consideration of appeals and decision-making on them can guarantee the possibility of personal protection of their rights and their timely implementation. However, the Right to Protection CF agrees with the position of the Main Scientific and Expert Department and believes that if the draft is adopted as a law, there may be negative consequences for a large number of existing procedures and administrative services that cannot be implemented within the general administrative procedure.

Risks to the procedure for processing an application for recognition as a refugee or as a person in need of complementary protection

1. The current legal framework, including a number of international treaties, enshrines the special vulnerability of this category of foreigners and stateless persons as asylum seekers, in particular, due to forced relocation, difficulty to obtain the documents proving their identity, low level of education, lack of sufficient funds to ensure a decent standard of living, experience of physical and psychological suffering, lack of language knowledge of the country, where they apply for protection.

Therefore, in order to ensure the rights of these persons and to prevent discrimination, the legislation establishes certain guarantees that are used by asylum seekers during administrative proceedings.  Among the most important guarantees of access to international protection, enshrined in current legislation, are:

  • the procedure for submitting an application by a person who is illiterate or has physical disabilities;
  • the right to submit an application and documents substantiating the need for protection, in the native language and the obligation of the State Migration Service of Ukraine (SMSU) and other state bodies to provide an interpreter;
  • the procedure for submitting an application by a person who has illegally crossed the state border of Ukraine;
  • the procedure for action of the SMSU and other state bodies in the case of applying for protection of a child separated from his family;
  • the right to submit an application by a person who does not have identity documents or such documents are false, and the procedure for further consideration of such an application;
  • an exhaustive list of grounds for deciding to refuse to accept an application for recognition as a refugee or a person in need of complementary protection, etc.

However, the draft Law does not take into account the special vulnerability of asylum seekers. Thus, Article 7 of the draft stipulates that foreigners and stateless persons use guarantees during administrative proceedings, but these guarantees are not enshrined and listed separately, which indicates their declarative nature.

2. The draft significantly expands the range of opportunities for a person to protect their rights during administrative proceedings, in particular, the right to submit petitions, an exhaustive list of which is directly enshrined in the draft, access to case materials, the right to submit explanations and comments, the right to be heard by the administrative body before decision in the case is taken, the right to initiate and participate in hearings in the case, etc., but due to the special vulnerability of asylum seekers for most of them the realization of these rights is not possible without representation.

At the same time, it should be noted that the draft does not provide the amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On Free Legal Aid”, and under current regulation access to legal aid for asylum seekers is complicated: 1) the range of asylum seekers entitled to such assistance is  significantly narrowed;  2) a clear procedure and procedure for attracting or appointing a lawyer from the free legal aid center are not defined;  3) the obligation of the bodies of the State Migration Service of Ukraine (SMSU) to inform the relevant center for the provision of free legal aid about the need for such assistance to asylum seekers is not provided;  4) the term for consideration of an application for the provision of free legal aid is twice as long as the term for appealing against decisions of the SMSU, etc.

Therefore, in case of adoption of the draft Law as is without any required amendments, applicants for protection will be deprived of the opportunity to exercise their rights during the administrative proceedings.

3. One of the guarantees of access to international protection, as mentioned above, is to enshrine in law an exhaustive list of grounds for a decision to refuse to accept an application for recognition as a refugee or a person in need of complementary protection.  In contrast, according to the draft, the possibilities of the administrative body to refuse to consider the application are significantly expanded.  For example, Article 42 provides for a list of applications that are not subject to review, and Article 40 provides for the application to be left without motion or withdrawn from review. This may limit access of asylum seekers to international protection, thus violating Ukraine’s international obligations.

 4. The particular vulnerability of asylum seekers requires a special approach to the proof and evaluation of the application for protection.  This approach is explained in p.  196, 197 Guidelines on Procedures and Criteria for Determining Refugee Status under the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol.  Instead, the requirements for evidence and proof set out in the draft do not take into account these recommendations, which may lead to a violation of the rights of asylum seekers.

Risks to the procedure for processing of an application for recognition as a stateless person

The Law of Ukraine “On the Legal Status of Foreigners and Stateless Persons” stipulates that the procedure for consideration of applications for recognition as a stateless person shall be established by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine (within three months from the date Law enters into the force). The draft contradicts this provision of the Law, as it tries to regulate in particular the procedure for consideration of applications for recognition as a stateless person, without specifying this procedure in the list of exceptions from the scope of the draft. Instead, a significant number of project provisions are inconsistent with the procedure for recognition as a stateless person, some directly contradicting it.

1. Part three of Article 19 of the draft Law requires the applicant to translate documents provided in a foreign language, contrary to Article 6-1 of this Law, which obliges the state body to translate documents provided by the applicant when applying for recognition as stateless person.

2. Although Article 36 of the draft provides a form of application, which includes oral (including submitted in a personal application, which is added to the case file via transcribing it by an official), does not take into account the possibility of application by an illiterate person or person with disabilities. Instead, the second paragraph of the first part of Article 6-1 of this Law indicates the procedure for filing an application by such a person. In addition, as our practice shows, among undocumented persons with uncertain citizenship who meet the criteria for determining as stateless, there are often illiterate people who have not received an education.

3. This Law stipulates that if a stateless person has no documents that are required by Law, after his / her written consent was received, relatives, neighbors or other persons (at least three) will be interviewed to confirm the fact of statelessness (paragraph three of the first part of Article 6-1 of the draft Law). The draft provides the status of “case review facilitators” to the aforementioned people, but it cannot be taken into account that the interview is conducted only with the written consent of the applicant. In addition, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine will establish the procedure of interviewing persons during the consideration of an application for recognition as a stateless person.

4. Article 33 of the draft provides the possibility of initiating proceedings by an administrative body, which has the potential to yield a positive impact on the process of identifying undocumented stateless persons. However, consideration of the application for recognition as stateless is not provided by the above-mentioned law in any other way than through the application of the person.

5. The procedure for suspension and resumption of administrative proceedings provided in Article 60 of the draft is also not consistent with the procedure for recognition as a stateless person, defined by Law.  The draft introduces the possibility to suspend the consideration of the application at the request of the applicant, instead it is not able to take into account the procedure for termination and resumption of the application for recognition as stateless person (in particular at the time of consideration of the application for protection in Ukraine, as in the second article 6-1 of the said Law).

6. The administrative appeal introduced in the draft (Articles 74-81) will not be available to the applicant for recognition as stateless person, as the draft Law provides only the possibility of judicial appeal. The extension of the application certificate for recognition as a stateless person is provided only for the time of the court appeal.

Summary and recommendations

Thus, the special vulnerability of asylum seekers and persons applying for recognition as stateless is not taken into account in the process of administrative proceedings in the draft Law. There are no separate guarantees for these categories. In the process of exercising the rights during the administrative proceedings proposed in the draft, both asylum seekers and stateless persons will obviously face significant difficulties. In fact, rights will remain declarative for them.

Based on the above, we recommend to add paragraphs 6 and 7 of the following content to the part 2 of Article 1 of the draft law:

6) submission and consideration of an application for recognition as a refugee or a person in need of complementary protection, decision-making on this application and its appeal, adoption and appeal of a decision on loss and deprivation of refugee status and additional protection and cancellation of a decision on recognition as a refugee or a person needs additional protection;

 7) consideration of the application for recognition as a stateless person in accordance with the Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine Concerning Recognition as a Stateless Person”.

18.09.20

Today we present the Mid-year (January – June 2020) EECP Survey Report. This report provides the results of the survey conducted at all five Entry-Exit Checkpoints (EECPs) with the non-government-controlled area (NGCA) in the first half of 2020. Due to quarantine restrictions, the report contains survey data from 1 January to 17 March.

Highlights of the report:

  • With the introduction of quarantine, since 17 to 22 March people could cross only in the direction of their residence registration – NGCA or GCA. On 22 March, EECPs suspended operations, and slightly over 14,000 persons have received permission to cross since then.
  • On 9 June Ukraine announced the reopening of EECPs in Donetsk oblast on 10 June, after closing them for almost three months. Meanwhile, by the end of June, the other four EECPs remain closed with limited exceptions, since the de facto authorities of NGCA side have banned the crossing of contact line on the NGCA side. However, since the beginning of quarantine there have been several so-called “corridors” at Stanytsia Luhanska EECP (Luhanska oblast) according to pre-agreed lists.
  • Admission to higher education institutions for students from NGCA has been heavily affected by quarantine restrictions. Over 300 students have been allowed to cross the contact line while about one thousand have applied for passing an External Independent testing (EIT) since 16 June. The recently adopted law seeks to improve the situation: children from NGCA will be able to enroll in Ukrainian universities without passing EIT and have the opportunity to study in all universities.
  • People who crossed to GCA faced numerous difficulties with installing the app “Act at Home” on their phone. In particular, people with older phones and/or Kyivstar sim-cards were troubled a lot with technical issues. Insufficient Wi-Fi at Novotroitske also complicated the issue. Besides, representatives of State Border Guard Service (SBGS) at Stanytsia Luhanska EECP required that people confirm their place of self-isolation and upload a reference photo directly at the EECP that led to geolocation issues later. People who could not install the app have been placed in an SES tent to resolve those issues the following day, or they have been sent for observation.
  • In turn, people from Donetsk NGCA are supposed to have residence registration (“propiska”) in GCA to be eligible to cross the checkpoint. Also, people are required to sign a document of non-return to the NGCA side until the end of the quarantine there. Additionally, people crossing to NGCA are to be sent for a 2-week observation without any alternative options of self-isolation regime.
  • The implementation of coronavirus-related quarantine procedures caused a dramatic reduction in crossings. People in NGCA are unable to receive their pensions, social benefits, birth/death certificates, buy drugs, etc. Residents of GCA who left for any personal issues on the NGCA side before the introduction of the quarantine, also cannot return home. Family unity and access to the place of residence or place of treatment are also issues for a number of people.
  • In the period 1 January to 17 March, 67,134 vulnerable elderly persons were provided with transport support at Stanytsia Luhanska EECP by Proliska’s electric vehicle. As of 17 March, transportation services were suspended due to the quarantine measures. Most services suspended their work between 17-20 March at all EECPs: the Coordination Group representatives, INGO medical representatives, and transportation including a social bus at Stanytsia Luhanska. In June, e-vehicle services resumed, the total number of people transported in six months was 69,405.
  • R2P monitors reported five fatalities that took place on the GCA side in the first half of 2020 and according to information from public sources one fatality on the NGCA side. The preliminary causes of death in most cases were related to heart problems.

EECP Survey Report is available in English and Ukrainian.

07.09.20

CF “Right to Protection” (R2P) continues its work as a member of the 3P Consortium. Despite all quarantine restrictions introduced in March, R2P has continued to engage stakeholders for further discussions on industrial and environmental risks. To make such discussions deeper and productive, R2P has joined forces with technical consultants who are experts in risks inherent specifically to Donbas.

Read more about it in the new edition of Consortium`s newsletter here.

23.06.20

The report «Crossing the contact line» provides the results of the survey conducted at all five Entry-Exit Checkpoints (EECPs) with NGCA in 2019.

The objective of the survey is to explore the motivations and concerns of the civilians travelling between the non-government-controlled areas (NGCA) and the government-controlled areas (GCA), as well as the conditions and risks associated with crossing the contact line through EECPs.

Highlights:

  • In comparison with 2018, the share of respondents who did not raise any concerns related to the crossing process increased at all EECPs except Novotroitske. The improvement may be related to the reconstruction of EECPs, which sufficiently improved the waiting conditions: installation of waiting terminals, passport control booths, toilets, and sheds.
  • 1,363 respondents (5%) mentioned cases of not being able to cross the contact line in the six months prior to their interview. The vast majority 1,086 (3,98%) of these cases were caused by the lack of permits in the SBGS database.
  • 38 fatalities reportedly took place at EECPs in 2019, including 16 deaths on NGCA side (information from social media and OSCE reports) for which the data cannot be confirmed. The preliminary causes of death in most cases in GCA were related to heart diseases.

The report is available in English and Ukrainian.

The survey is a part of the monitoring of violations of rights of the conflict-affected population within the framework of the project «Advocacy, Protection and Legal Assistance to the Internally Displaced Population of Ukraine» implemented by CF «Right to protection» in partnership with and with financial support of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

03.06.20

For better action in the future, it is time to reflect on the achievements of the 3P Consortium, created by ACTED in 2019 to Prevent, Prepare and Protect (3P) communities and infrastructure from risks of industrial and ecological disasters in Eastern Ukraine.

Read more about 3P Consortium achievements since the beginning of 2020 in the Consortium newsletter available here.