Human rights activists help displaced women exercise their labor rights

The All-Ukrainian Coalition for Legal Aid has launched a program to promote economic activity and protect labor rights of displaced women in 4 pilot regions of Ukraine, including Chernihiv Oblast.

In January 2016, the President of Ukraine signed a law on strengthening guarantees of the rights and freedoms of internally displaced persons. However, the problems of the majority of internally displaced persons have not yet been resolved, particularly in the field of labor and employment. Experts note that internally displaced persons often experience discrimination in the labor market, are limited in employment opportunities, are deprived of state support and preferential credit conditions for starting their own business, and have limited access to information about such opportunities.

This is especially true for displaced women. In the new conditions, it is much more difficult for them to adapt than for men due to the prejudiced attitude towards them as migrants and also due to “standard” manifestations of gender discrimination. As a rule, it is more difficult for a woman, and even more so for a migrant woman, to get a job, it is more difficult to get a salary equal to that of a man, it is more difficult to get a loan from a bank to develop her own business.

That is why the All-Ukrainian Coalition for Legal Aid, with the support of the Canadian Fund for Local Initiatives, is implementing a program to promote economic activity, entrepreneurial activity of migrant women and protect their rights in the sphere of labor and employment in 4 pilot regions of Ukraine, representing different parts of the country – Chernihiv region (North), Khmelnytskyi region (Center), Mykolaiv region (South) and Ivano-Frankivsk region (West).

“We want to help displaced women get equal starting opportunities compared to men. That is why we will teach them how to start their own business and how to protect their labor rights. Our experts will also conduct a series of trainings for representatives of the state employment service and public activists in order to make their assistance to this category of IDPs even more effective,” says Vitaliy Misyats, Executive Director of the All-Ukrainian Coalition for Legal Aid.

The project aims to help displaced women realize their labor and entrepreneurial rights, promote their social mobilization and business activity, and improve legal and economic awareness and literacy.

To carry out this activity, Regional Consulting Centers have been established in 4 regions on the basis of non-governmental organizations – project partners:

Chernihiv Public Committee for the Protection of Human Rights (Chernihiv, Gorkogo St. 57/1; tel.:

(0462) 612-532





(0462) 612-532; e-mail: protection.ua@gmail.com

Podolsk Legal League (Khmelnytskyi, Pushkina Prov. 1; tel./fax. (382) 72-01-95; e-mail: podil.liga@gmail.com) Youth Community Center “Etalon” (Ivano-Frankivsk, Pavlyka St., 10, office 17-19; tel./fax: +38-0342-50-25-25; office@mgcetalon.org.ua)

Economic Development Agency (Mykolaiv region, Voznesensk, Pushkinska St. 3, office 35; tel./fax: +380-5134-3-22-50; e-mail: aerbox@ukr.net).

The centers will provide training, legal, resource and expert support to displaced women in target regions in cooperation with local employment centers.

Vitaliy Misyats

All-Ukrainian Coalition for Legal Aid

Tel.:

067-380-14-40





067-380-14-40

E-mail: ucla.office@gmail.com;

Web-site: www.pravoonline.org.ua

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