Sumy communities join forces to protect the rights of displaced people

On October 12, 2017, a seminar on the topic “Features of the implementation of the right to social security by internally displaced persons” was held in the POINT#eduspace educational space in Sumy as part of the project “Protection of the population affected by the conflict”, which is implemented in the Sumy and Chernihiv regions by the Chernihiv Public Committee for the Protection of Human Rights.

The seminar brought together representatives of regional and city institutions and structures that care for displaced persons, representatives of human rights organizations, the system of free secondary assistance in Sumy region, public activists, and leaders of displaced persons’ associations in the cities of Sumy, Konotop, and Shostka.

The project executor in Sumy region, a lawyer of the Chernihiv Public Committee for the Protection of Human Rights, Volodymyr Vinogradov, told the participants about the peculiarities of the implementation of the IDPs’ right to social security at the seminar.

Volodymyr Vinogradov

. He noted that all organizations and structures represented at the event should mobilize their efforts to provide effective assistance to internally displaced persons. Joint work will help adapt citizens who experienced stress while in a combat zone and then experienced forced relocation to a new place of residence. “All areas are important in which everyone can contribute to improving the well-being of internally displaced persons. First of all, we must work on this in the legal field,” the human rights activist notes.

Mr. Vinogradov also told those present about the gradual changes in legislation that were gradually adopted in the legal field of Ukraine, taking into account the unique situation with internally displaced persons for our country.

During the seminar, the advisor to the Ministry of Social Policy on IDPs in Sumy region

Oksana Ivantsova

reported to the attendees on the topic “Prevention of sexual violence in conflict situations”, because in conditions of lawlessness in the occupied territory, anyone can become a victim of this phenomenon.

The event took place in the form of an active dialogue. The attendees shared their own experience of assisting internally displaced persons, analyzed problem cases they encountered during their work.

The project “Protecting the rights, reducing risks and strengthening humanitarian assistance to IDPs and the population affected by the conflict in Ukraine” is implemented by the Danish Refugee Council with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).