LEGAL ASSISTANCE

As the project manager Viktor Tarasov notes: “It remains very problematic for the state to ensure the protection of human rights at this level, especially in matters of applying to the court. Today, there are many obstacles of an objective and subjective nature that prevent rural residents from applying to the court to protect their rights. First of all, this is the low level of legal culture of rural residents, economic hardships, transport problems. Unfortunately, today the activity of citizens in protecting their rights is quite weak. Not the least role in this is played by the low legal education of the population. If in cities we can talk about ordinary legal illiteracy, then in rural areas it is catastrophic. Added to this is the imperfection of the regulatory functions of state authorities and extremely high corruption.”

As the experience of the Chernihiv Public Committee for the Protection of Human Rights shows, the largest number of appeals from rural residents currently concerns issues of land relations, in particular the use of land plots, the issue of rent for land shares, etc. In second place are cases related to pension and social security, primarily the problems of “children of war” and “Chernobyl survivors”, the provision of housing subsidies, etc.

The project “Improving legal protection and access to justice for low-income rural residents in Chernihiv region”, which is implemented by the Chernihiv Public Committee for the Protection of Human Rights (CHPRHR) with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation, is aimed at solving these problems. The project provides

free

legal assistance to citizens, primarily rural residents, both on the basis of the public reception center of the ChGKZPL and during visits by lawyers to district centers of the Chernihiv region; printed publications on human rights protection are distributed; legal educational events will be held for journalists of district media and employees of local self-government bodies of the region to cover the problem of access to justice and discuss the problem of legal education of the population, etc.

Citizens who consider their rights to be violated or who have difficulties in exercising their rights can apply for

free

legal assistance to the public reception center at the address: Chernihiv, 14000, Gorkogo St. 57/1;

hotline number: (022) 612-532

.