Lawyers and legal professionals of Mykolaiv region received training on protecting the rights of asylum seekers and refugees

On October 30, 2020, a training on the topic “Protection of the rights of asylum seekers, refugees and stateless persons. International and national standards” was held in Mykolaiv for lawyers and employees of local legal aid centers in the Mykolaiv region.

The head of programs of the Chernihiv Public Committee for the Protection of Human Rights

Nadiya Edieva

presented the experience of the organization’s many years of activity in the field of protection of asylum seekers and refugees and highlighted the main current challenges in the field of migration in Ukraine today, in particular in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine restrictions.

The representative of the regional center for the provision of free secondary legal aid (BVLA) in the Mykolaiv region

Larisa Zavadska

noted that such training events are quite important for local legal aid providers and lawyers, since the protection of the rights and interests of foreigners is a rather new and complex category of cases. One of the three Ukrainian Temporary Residence Points for Foreigners and Stateless Persons Illegally Staying in Ukraine (PTPI) is located in the Mykolaiv region. That is why the issue of legal work with foreigners is extremely relevant for lawyers who cooperate with the state system of BVLA.

Migration law expert, lawyer

Ostap Tymchiy

, familiarized the attendees with the main international and national regulatory documents regulating the rights and freedoms of foreigners and stateless persons in Ukraine, as well as with the procedure for determining refugee status, the features of appealing decisions of the migration service, and the practice of the European Court of Human Rights on considering asylum seekers’ cases.

An important topic for discussion was the features of appealing decisions of the State Migration Service on the refusal to accept an asylum seeker’s application, prepare documents for its consideration, and recognize a refugee or a person in need of additional protection. The attendees completed and discussed practical tasks on the indicated topics.

Representatives of the Voznesenskyi Local Center for Free Secondary Legal Aid (BVLA) shared their experience in handling cases of asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants staying in the Mykolaiv Temporary Residence Point for Foreigners (PTPI).

The training participants noted that such events are very relevant and important for raising awareness and improving knowledge in such a sensitive and narrow topic as protecting the rights of refugees and asylum seekers, as well as for the opportunity to share their own experience with other colleagues.

The event was organized by the Chernihiv Public Committee for the Protection of Human Rights with the support of the Press, Education, and Culture Section of the US Embassy in Ukraine.