Entrepreneurs of Chernihiv region must become more active in protecting their rights

As human rights organizations note, the situation with respect for business rights in the state, especially at the level of small communities, is difficult. In practice, small entrepreneurs feel completely unprotected. Tax pressure, corruption, raiding, and the constant threat of destruction by big business have become the norm for small and medium-sized entrepreneurs.

Mass protests by small and medium-sized businesses in defense of their rights, which took place in Ukraine in 2010-2011, were stifled due to the specificity of the business environment and the lack of coordination of protests.

At the same time, changes in tax legislation have significantly affected the work of entrepreneurs. Some business entities were forced to cease their activities. Many are frightened by the new rules for inspections by regulatory authorities.

This is quite eloquently stated by statistics: the number of small businesses in Chernihiv region decreased by almost 15% in 2010-2011. And this is while the region has the highest unemployment rate in the country, reaching 12% according to the methodology of the International Labor Organization (ILO).

As the experience of human rights defenders shows, violations of business rights are of different nature, but, as a rule, are caused by a constant list of factors: low legal awareness of entrepreneurs, limited access to effective legal assistance, the absence of effective state and non-state structures that have effective tools to protect the rights of entrepreneurs, and most importantly – the absence of an effective system for monitoring the state of compliance with business rights and lobbying for relevant changes at the legislative level.

Therefore, the main goal of the Center for Legal Protection of Entrepreneurs of Chernihiv Region is to provide free legal assistance, raise legal awareness and activate small business representatives to protect their own economic and property rights, as well as analyze the effectiveness of existing legal mechanisms for protecting entrepreneurial rights at the level of the Chernihiv region.

The Center for Legal Protection of Entrepreneurs is open daily from 11:00 to 17:00 at the address: Chernihiv, 14000, Gorkogo St. 57/1; hotline number: (0462) 612-532.

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The purpose of the Rule of Law program is to support civil society initiatives aimed at protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, and to promote legal awareness and civic activism at the central and local levels.