Round table “Modern challenges of ensuring human rights in Ukraine”

On December 9, 2015, a round table meeting “Modern Challenges of Ensuring Human Rights in Ukraine” was held in the city of Chernihiv at the Educational and Methodological Center of Trade Unions.

The round table was initiated and held by the Federation of Trade Union Organizations of Chernihiv Oblast and the Adult Education Center “Perspektiva” of the National Center of Trade Unions. The event was held as part of the celebration of the International Human Rights Day in the region.

The organizers aimed to draw public attention to the problem of respecting human rights in all spheres, to activate the partnership movement of government structures and public organizations to prevent human rights violations, and to promote the establishment of a legal culture in the local community.

“The event was attended by representatives of state structures, trade union activists, heads of regional committees, heads of trade union organizations, and scientists. We are holding this event together with public organizations and institutes that are on guard of human rights,” said Petro Chornorot, deputy head of the Federation of Trade Union Organizations of Chernihiv Region.

He emphasized the need to adhere to international treaties relating to human rights. In particular, the European Social Charter, signed on behalf of Ukraine in 1999. “According to the Charter, our people should freely choose a profession and earn a living in this profession, have equal working conditions… And most importantly, they should have a salary that ensures a decent life for them and their families. Today, we cannot say anything positive about any point of the Social Charter,” Petro Chornorot emphasized.

According to the organizers, the event was held to draw public attention to the urgent problem of human rights observance in all spheres (from labor relations to family relations) for Ukrainian society, to activate the partnership movement of government structures and public organizations to prevent human rights violations, to promote the establishment of a legal culture in the local community.

During the round table, the regional coordinator for public relations of the Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for Human Rights in Chernihiv region, Alla Lepekha, spoke about the state of human rights observance in Chernihiv region and in Ukraine in general.

The speeches of other speakers addressed the formation of labor relations in Ukraine, ensuring labor rights of employees in modern conditions, observance of socio-economic rights, observance of human rights in terms of access to employment, the mechanism for implementing the right to free secondary legal aid in civil and administrative cases, etc.

Recall that on December 10, 1948, the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which is the basis of standards in the field of human rights.