The Story of Resettlement: Finding the Perfect, Open Community

09.06.21

«Assistance to the IDP families in resettlement has always been a priority in the work of the Charitable Fund “Right to Protection” (R2P). And in this situation, it is important that the local communities be willing to help internally displaced persons find their new homes. We are grateful that there are such communities in the Dnipropetrovsk region, which are ready to accept and help IDPs from other regions. Communities that are actually open to people!»
– said Myroslava Sushchenko, head of the Dnipro and Zaporizhzhya office of the CF “Right to Protection” (R2P)

The Story of Displacement

Svitlana and Oleksandr. Back in the peaceful days, they used to renovate their old home, putting all their love and efforts into making it better, but all these happy days were short…

In 2014, the family was forced to leave Shakhtarsk due to the start of active hostilities and initially, the occupation of the city.

Fleeing the war in the east, the family found their first shelter in the west of Ukraine in Sambir district, where they have been living for almost 5 years. Svitlana and Oleksandr still remember the lovely nature of the Carpathians and the kindness of the people around them.

Історія переселення: громада відкрита для людей

After learning about the possibility of moving to the module settlement in the Kirovohrad region, the family decided to go, due to it being closer to their home. So they moved to Novohradivka. The couple lived in the new place for two years, but the high rent and insufficiently developed infrastructure forced them to start searching for a new place once again… And during this period they found the contacts of the CF “Right to Protection” (R2P).

Olena Pazenko, a monitor at the Dnipro and Zaporizhzhya office of the Right to Protection Charitable Foundation, immediately offered the family possible options for resettlement. After the consultation, they stopped their choice at the city of Pokrov, Nikopol district. Svitlana and Oleksandr have been hesitating for several months, and when they finally decided to come, our colleagues accompanied them in the new community. After inspecting the room in the dormitory, walking around the city, the family made the final decision to stay.

Within one day, Svitlana and Oleksandr received an IDP registration certificate at the new location, underwent the necessary examinations at the hospital, and applied to the settlement commission.

«I have been going to Pokrov with monitoring visits since 2015, and every time I visit this incredible town I fall in love with it in a new way. And it is the people who make it so cozy. Pokrov is a city where people are not indifferent to the fate of internally displaced persons. So it was this time.
When we were collecting a package of documents, people everywhere came to meet us. We did not see officials, we saw caring people. I would like to express special gratitude to Valentyna Minenko, director of Zhytlokomservice, which has IDP dormitories on its balance. She is always ready to provide shelter to the people who became homeless due to the hostilities in eastern Ukraine, »
– commented Olena Pazenko, a monitor at the Dnipro-Zaporizhzhya office of the Charitable Fund “Right to Protection” (R2P).

Eventually, a week after the application was submitted, the family moved into a dormitory.

Oleksandr loved the city at first sight. When he learned more about the city, he made sure that he and his wife were not mistaken:

«I walk around the city a lot here. It inspires, and it’s actually made for people! As a person with a disability, it is difficult for me to walk a lot, but there are benches everywhere, you always have the opportunity to sit down and relax. It’s nice to feel taken care of. »
– told Oleksandr about his experience of living in a new place.

Svitlana is already arranging a new house and dreams that the children who now live in the Zhytomyr region will also move to Pokrov and the family will finally reunite. Her words of gratitude are very valuable to us:

«R2P, thank you that in the 7th year of the war, when fewer organizations take care of IDPs, you did not leave us, the displaced, alone with our own problems.»
– said Svitlana.

ALSO READ:

31.05.21

Mrs. Kateryna (name changed), is almost 85 years old. In September 2014, a shell hit her home in the village of Taramchuk (Donetsk region). The house was completely destroyed.

A few dozen villagers helped the woman find temporary shelter, but living near the site of the ongoing fighting was unbearable.

Even then, there was no shop or hospital in Taramchuk, and there was no water, so sometimes Mrs. Kateryna had to collect rainwater for her own needs.

2 Майже 7 років без житла. Історія Катерини

After some time, she moved to another settlement, away from the shelling.

Back then the state did not have a legal procedure for paying compensations for destroyed housing, all that women had was an act of destruction.

In mid-2020, Mrs. Kateryna came to the Charitable Fund “Right to Protection” (R2P), and with the help of our lawyers, she filed a lawsuit. A few months later in September, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted Resolution №767 “The issue of monetary compensation to victims, whose houses (apartments) were destroyed as a result of a military emergency caused by the armed aggression of the Russian Federation.”

Therefore, together with Mrs. Kateryna, our team almost immediately submitted all the necessary documents for consideration by the commission. Already this year, Ms. Kateryna received compensation.

Report "IDPs Housing Needs, Intentions and Opportunities. Dnipropetrovska, Zaporizka and Kharkivska Oblasts" Звіт «Житлові потреби, наміри та можливості ВПО»

If your home has also been destroyed

as a result of hostilities

in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine

contact the CF Right to Protection (R2P) for legal assistance

Our hotline numbers below:

+38 (099) 507 50 90

+38 (068) 507 50 90

+38 (093) 507 50 90

ALSO READ:

20.05.21

Dmytro Hryhorovych was born back in 1951 in the city of Makiivka, which is currently in a Non-Government Controlled Area in Ukraine. During the Soviet era, the man lived in different parts of the former Soviet Union, including Georgia.

In 1980, Dmytro Hryhorovych received a passport of a citizen of the former USSR. However, this passport was lost in the 90s. It was not possible to restore it because the Soviet Union collapsed and the former Soviet republics became independent nations with their own migration structures.

Despite the fact that Mr. Dmytro lived in Ukraine, wherever he tried to apply, he was denied both the passport and citizenship. He was required to provide the original of the lost passport, which he had received in Georgia, as well as the court decisions confirming permanent residence in Ukraine in 1991. And an infinite number of other certificates…

Several lawsuits dragged on for years… Dmytro Hryhorovych continued to receive refusals from the Migration Service to issue a passport with different explanations.

The man turned to the Charitable Fund “Right to Protection” (R2P) for help. Our specialists took immediate measures to help Mr. Dmytro to obtain a passport. Multiple documents were received from the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, the courts, and the State Migration Service of Ukraine (SMSU), and as result, the new birth certificate was obtained.

It took our colleagues almost a year to help Dmytro Hryhorovych and to fulfill all the requirements of the SMSU. But the result was totally worth it – Dmytro Hryhorovych finally received his long-awaited passport as a citizen of Ukraine. He was 70 at the time!

First passport at the age of 70 years old. Story of Dmytro Історія Дмитра Григоровича. Отримав перший паспорт у 70 років 2

Now a man can implement everything he was always dreaming about – to work officially and be insured, to have the right to a pension and medical care, to be useful to society, and to help people.

UNHCR Ukraine

14.05.21

Umu Diallo was born in Guinea. Today the woman lives and works in Odesa, Ukraine. She makes professional hairstyles that are especially popular during the holiday season, and also runs her own shoe store. She has a 2 y.o. daughter, Rugiyatu.

Umu has been living in Ukraine since 2011. In 2012, she received the status of a person in need of complementary protection. As the woman says, she divides her life into what was before and after. And the starting point is 2011 when she tried to cross the border of Ukraine and was detained.

Umu could not stay in Guinea because she was forced to marry as a minor. Her husband systematically beat and mocked her, and she had absolutely no single chance to protect herself in this country. At the time of her detention, the woman was in a state of psychophysical stress, which doctors said was due to domestic violence in Guinea.

Історія Уму. 6 місяців страждань в ПТПІ заради вільного життя в Україні Umu’s Story. 6 months of sufferings in a Migrant Detention Centre to be able to live freely in Ukraine

At first, the situation she got in Ukraine gave enough reason for despair. Umu was detained together with a group of other forced migrants. All of them were placed in the Temporary Holding Facility of the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) in order to identify and later deport them from Ukraine. The young woman did not understand the language and legal grounds for her detention, and she also had health problems due to her suffering.

The fact that Umu was a minor at the moment of detention was not established immediately, but when it was, in violation of all existing norms, SBGS continued to keep her in the Temporary Holding Facility for Foreigners and Stateless Persons. When Umu received legal aid, the decision to detain her was appealed, but this complaint was considered by the court only after her release from custody. Lawyers also helped Umu apply to the State Migration Service of Ukraine for international protection.

Umu was released from Temporary Holding Facility only a year after her detention. Two months after detention she applied for international protection. Umu was detained illegally for almost 6 months. Women’s lawyers have failed to achieve justice in national courts, so in 2012 they applied to the European Court of Human Rights.

European_Court_of_Human_Rights ECtHR Європейський суд з прав людини ЄСПЛ

In this case (Nur and Others v. Ukraine), the European Court of Human Rights found that Ukraine had violated Article 5 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms: the right to liberty and security of a person. Ukraine was obliged to pay Umu 9,800 euros in moral damages.

Now the woman finally feels happy! She says that after the end of the quarantine restrictions she is ready to take up her work actively, she really wants her daughter to acquire Ukrainian citizenship and build her life in the country that provided her with protection!

According to Svitlana Butenko, advocate at the Charitable Fund “Right to Protection” (R2P), violations of the rights of asylum seekers from different countries are still occurring in Ukraine. This includes the impossibility of access to international protection at the border and in places of detention, as well as the excessive length of proceedings for appeals against illegal decisions of the authorities in the courts.

«The story of Umu gives us the opportunity to show the real people behind the numerous “compensation stories”, as well as to tell the world about their sufferings. No matter where these people are now – in remand prisons, Migrant Accommodation Centers, Temporary Holding Facilities, regardless of how they entered the country – legally or illegally. Yet the main thing is that all seekers of protection have the right to liberty, and detention must be justified in every single case. »
– told Svitlana.

UNHCR Ukraine

Also read:

06.05.21

Zulfiya was born in 1990 in the city of Horlivka in the Donetsk region. Her parents left her when she was a child. Until the age of 14 y.o. she was raised by her aunt. It was not possible to get a birth certificate and passport, because Zulfiya was born outside of maternity hospital.

After reaching the age of 14, the woman began to live independently, she even had her own family. In Horlivka, Zulfiya gave birth to two children: a boy Ramir and a girl Kamila. However, the woman could not register their birth because she did not have any documents.

After the beginning of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, Zulfiya and her children moved to Mariupol, where she later gave birth to two more children, Janusz and Milana. It was also not possible to register their birth as it is required to have a passport to do that.

2 Історія Зульфії Zulfiya Story birth certificates children family сім'я діти свідоцтво про народження — Due to the lack of documents, the family has to live in an inhumane conditions. In this picture – the swamp from which the family gets the water

In 2019, Zulfiya turned for help to the Charitable Fund “Right to Protection” (R2P). Our lawyers urgently began to deal with the issue of registration of children and collect the necessary documents that would confirm the fact of their birth in Mariupol.

Subsequently, two children received their birth certificates. However, the other two children, Ramir and Kamila are still living without certificates. Their cases require court proceedings and decisions without which it is simply impossible to register the fact of birth.

To help the woman, an application was filed with the court to establish the fact of her birth in Horlivka. After a year of consideration of the case, the court issued a decision, according to which it was possible to obtain a birth certificate for the woman.

Zulfiya saw it for the first time in 30 years of her life and was infinitely happy about it. Now, having received a birth certificate, the woman will apply to the migration service for a passport. Zulfiya really wants to change her life for the better and to have a worthy place in society!

3 Історія Зульфії Zulfiya Story birth certificates children family сім'я діти свідоцтво про народження

UNHCR Ukraine

Also read:

16.04.21

In 2017, at the initiative of a number of human rights organizations, a resolution № 268 “On approval of the Procedure for granting the status of a child affected by hostilities and armed conflicts” was developed and then – adopted.

According to this document, such a status can be obtained by a child or a person who has not reached the age of majority (18 y. o.) at the time of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) /Joint Forces Operation (JFO) in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and who as a result of hostilities and armed conflicts:

received injuries, contusions, injuries;
suffered physical and sexual violence;
was abducted or illegally taken out of Ukraine;
involved in the actions of paramilitary or armed groups;
illegally detained, including in captivity;
suffered psychological violence.

As of the end of 2020, more than 52,000 children, including the 93 children who have received this status due to injuries and contusions, and one child that has been physically abused.

The numbers are impressive. But, unfortunately, this is just the tip of the iceberg. The fact is that most parents of children who could receive this status simply do not know about this opportunity or do not see the need for it as it does not provide the opportunity to receive benefits – neither the provision of qualified psychosocial assistance, nor the provision of free medicines.

In addition, as our experience shows, there are many cases of local authorities refusing to grant this status and even revoking it. We have few examples of this as our team has been working with such cases.

At the end of 2020, the monitoring team of the Mariupol office of the CF “Right to Protection” (R2P) revealed a systematic violation of the rights of minors in the Nikolsky district of the Donetsk region. The violation was the illegal and unjustified revocation of the status of a child affected by hostilities and armed conflict.

R2P Lawyer Ruslan Bereteli commented on this case:

“When I received this case for analysis and testing, I immediately realized that the situation requires prompt intervention, and the work promises to be difficult, but at the same time interesting as it was the first time I have encountered such a violation. And the systemic nature of the problem required active, I would even say aggressive interventions. The violation did not allow children to enjoy the benefit of the free meals, so it was necessary to respond as soon as possible.”

Руслан Беретелі про становище та права ромської спільноти в Україні

Colleagues immediately began to initiate meetings with everyone who could help and influence the situation. In this case, the director of the Nikolsky Center for Social Services for Families, Children and Youth was the only one who disagreed with the current state of affairs. However, we also had an ally in the Department of Social Protection of the Donetsk Region – its director is always a reliable partner in restoring justice for cases of violated human rights, she properly considers such appeals within her competence.

After all the meetings we agreed on the algorithms of cooperation and response. In addition, we asked the head of the Donetsk Regional State Administration to intervene in the situation, sending him a letter with a description and the legal analysis of the problem.

A representative of the Commissioner for the Observance of the Rights of the Child and the Family of the Secretariat of the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine was also involved in solving the problem.

The result of the cooperation was a letter to the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the opening of proceedings on this issue (the case was in the process of regional representation in Donetsk and Luhansk regions).

The advocacy team of the Charitable Fund ”Right to Protection” was actively involved. Our colleagues worked with the Department for the Protection of Children’s Rights and Ensuring Equality Standards of the State Social Service of Ukraine.

They issued a sufficient number of appeals to the service, appealed and involved deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in the process. All this was the reason for submitting an official request from the People’s Deputy of Ukraine to respond and investigate the activities of the above mentioned children protection service.

Finally, the order of the head of the Mariupol Regional State Administration revoked the orders which illegally revoked the status of children, affected by hostilities and armed conflicts.

R2P congratulates everyone involved in this victory!

Also read:

14.04.21

In 2019, with tears in her eyes, Lida entered the Kharkiv office of the Charitable Fund “Right to Protection” (R2P) for the first time, holding her five-year-old daughter’s hand.

The woman said that she was born in a Roma family during the Soviet era. She has been living in the Kupyansk district of the Kharkiv region since the late 1970s, but no documentary evidence of this exists. A woman cannot prove her citizenship of Ukraine and obtain a passport.

The Migration Service did everything possible for Lida – established her identity, and issued a certificate, but it was not possible to establish her citizenship of any state. Talking about her wanderings, Lida quietly wiped away tears and hugged her daughter, who had all the chances to repeat the fate of her mother and be left without documents, education, and a chance for a better life.

Passport for the sake of the daughter’s happy future. The story of Lida Паспорт заради щасливого майбутнього донечки. Історія Ліди

Lida signed an agreement with the Charitable Fund “Right to Protection” (R2P) on the provision of Free Legal Aid, and long and painstaking work began.

The fact of Lida’s residence on the territory of Ukraine as of August 24, 1991, was established in court. Later, a package of documents was prepared and submitted to establish Lida’s citizenship of Ukraine. Thanks to the high qualification, diligence, and persistence, and incredible efforts of the staff of the State Migration Service of Ukraine in the Kharkiv region (in particular, to the Ulyanchenko Kateryna Mykolayivna), the information necessary for Lida was formed and the documents were sent.

In the end, Lida received a long-awaited certificate of registration as a citizen of Ukraine, and 2 weeks later – the passport. Now the woman is happy: she finally has the opportunity to work officially, register her place of residence, and most importantly – avoid problems with documents for her daughter in the future.

Currently, employees of the Kupyansk Regional Department of the State Migration Service of Ukraine in Kharkiv Oblast, together with the R2P lawyer are working on the issue of registration of Lida’s seven-year-old daughter as a citizen of Ukraine.

Now Lida’s eyes still have tears, but those are the tears of joy and gratitude. Charitable Fund “Right to Protection” (R2P) wishes success to the family of the new citizen of Ukraine. Just believe – and everything will be fine!

UNHCR Ukraine – United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Ukraine

Also read:

09.04.21

Before the start of hostilities in the east of Ukraine, Volodymyr and his family lived in the village of Serebryanka in the Donetsk region.

On July 16, 2014, the village was shelled by the artillery. The projectile hit the roof of the house and, as a result, the man’s house was completely destroyed. The summer kitchen was also damaged.

house destroyed in the shelling to the compensation Від знищеного під час артобстрілу будинку до отримання компенсації. Історія бенефіціара БФ «Право на захист»

Volodymyr’s family found themselves homeless and left without any personal belongings. The only good thing in this situation is that no one was home at the time, so all the family members survived.

Because of the ongoing hostilities and the inability to live in the ruined house, Volodymyr was in despair. Their family was forced to move and rent a house. The man told his story to Iryna Abramova, a monitoring specialist at the Charitable Fund “Right to Protection” (R2P).

Before meeting our colleagues, the man did not know that in 2020 changes were made to the procedure for providing and determining the amount of financial assistance from emergencies and the amount of compensation for victims of destroyed housing.

Thanks to the cooperation and interaction with the local united territorial communities, the specialists of the R2P were able to immediately apply to the leadership of the Siverska amalgamated territorial community (hromada) to help the man receive appropriate compensation.

The Siverska hromada responded quickly. To protect the interests of the community a commission was set up and went to Serebryanka to prepare an analysis of all the destructions. In the end result, a positive decision was made – to provide monetary compensation to our beneficiary.

Finally, Volodymyr and his family will be able to rebuild their home while the team of the CF “Right to Protection” (R2P) within the framework of cooperation with local communities will continue to provide free legal aid to those in need.

Read also:

15.03.21

Our next story is about a special category of beneficiaries. According to our monitors, the number of people who have been released from prisons (from those who regularly cross the EECPs) recently had a significant increase.

Many of these people do not have any documents, and even if they have some – those are already not valid. Without the documents the return to the usual, normal life is impossible.

The story of Oleksandr begins in the town of Khrustalny (the old name is Krasny Luch, now located in the Non-Government Controlled Area) in the Luhansk region, Ukraine.

In 1994, a man received the passport of a citizen of Ukraine. In 2012, Oleksandr went to work in Russia. One day, all his documents were stolen, including the passport. But the misfortune never comes alone… The man was sent to a penal colony in the town of Klintsy in the Bryansk region.

Work abroad, the loss of documents and imprisonment. The story of Oleksandr 1 Поїздка на заробітки, втрата документів та позбавлення волі. Історія Олександра

After being released from the colony in December 2020, the Federal Migration Service of the Russian Federation issued Oleksandr an identity card to return to Ukraine. Then he was deported from the Russian Federation.

Work abroad, the loss of documents and imprisonment. The story of Oleksandr Поїздка на заробітки, втрата документів та позбавлення волі. Історія Олександра

The man was returned to Stanytsia Luhanska. He had no money or documents. The identity card given by the Russian authorities was valid only until January 21, 2021. Oleksandr was left alone – without a family, without home, without hope for the future…

Being in such a difficult situation, Oleksandr did not understand who to turn to for help. Once, while walking through the city of Stanytsia Luhanska, he saw the announcement of the Right to Protection CF from which he learned that the fund provides free legal assistance in processing and renewing the documents.

Oleksandr turned to our specialists to obtain a new passport of a citizen of Ukraine. A lawyer from the Severodonetsk office of the R2P helped Oleksandr draw up and fill in the necessary documents, as he could not write fluently in Ukrainian.

At the Novoaydar National Police Department a dactyloscopic examination for an extended request for verification of a person at the State Migration Service was conducted. Then the identification of a person was done and a fee for the production of a passport was paid.

Thanks to the highly professional and efficient work of the Migration Service, particularly the head of the Novoaidar district department of the State Migration Service of Ukraine, Oleksandr managed to register as a citizen of Ukraine without the court procedure.

As of today, it is known that the man has already married and is actively searching for a job.

UNHCR Ukraine – United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Ukraine

Read also: