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Two years ago Kherson regional charity and health foundation
together with Department of labor and social protection of the state executive
committee of Kherson city created Center for public rights protection
for poor citizens of the region. Today we can summarize and evaluate what
this volunteer initiative gave to Kherson region.
Our research has shown that more than 85% of elderly people
in Kherson region are illiterate in juridical questions, they do not orient
in changes in legislation and have no money for paid juridical consultations
and attorney's services. There in another problem not of less importance
- illiteracy of minors in juridical questions add to their socially unprotected
life. State advocacy for minors works extremely incompetently: there is
not enough money in the budget. Paid juridical services are unavailable
not only to elderly people and children, but to dominating majority of
families with many children, people with disabilities, homeless, refugees
and ex-imprisoned people.
Organs of local government of Kherson city and region are unable to supply
free juridical consultations for citizens, not to mention juridical assistance.
At the same time, tens of students from law schools from Kherson region
have internships at the institutions where no one trusts them to do serious
job. They are only offered to look at already written documents. As a
result, graduates from law schools do not have real practice and all in
all do not have a high enough qualification that leads to unwillingness
of employers to hire graduate students.
One more problem - education plans at the Institutes of Kherson region
(as well as other regions, too) do not have a course on Human rights,
none of the universities covers rights and possibilities of the third
sector in presentation and protection of human rights and freedoms.
We united possibilities of the Foundation, state executive committee and
students to solve these problems. State executive committee gave us a
room; the Foundation bought necessary equipment and invited two professional
attorneys. Students contributed their enthusiasm and desire to become
professional. Here they learn how to compose documents to the courts,
organs of local government, property department, court executive officials;
they teach citizens how to correctly write propositions and complaints
to different institutions, how to use Law and communicate with officials
with maximum effectiveness.
In 2000 10 students from Interregional Institute of business and Kherson
pedagogic university worked at the Center. Students won 6 claims - protected
rights of pensioners and a homeless family. Students learnt to compose
claims and speak in courts, gained useful skills for their future job
- patience, tolerance, ability to listen, feel the state of another person,
understand and give useful advices.
For the period between January 5, 200 and January 24, 2001 we consulted
627 clients and provided 834 consultations (some people came several times),
wrote 218 documents (claims to the court, prosecutor, executive organs,
archives etc.) Our public rights-defenders (including students) participated
in 32 court cases, 71 times appeared in court, won 12 cases (6 were won
by students).
In addition 36 clients won court cases by themselves due to professionally
written claims and consultations of our volunteers.
Within one year we provided services that would cost a few tens thousand
UAH. Besides this, we saved time and nerves of many governmental officials
and workers of the local government, eased the work for many courts, and
helped to form 10 professional attorneys, solved vital problems of hundreds
of poor citizens of Kherson city and region and ceased social tension
in the region.
In 2001 there were 72 interns at the center, all students-lawyers of Kharkiv
state university of internal affairs, Kherson economics and law institute,
Interregional institute of business, Kherson cooperative economics and
law professional school, students-psychologists from Kherson pedagogic
university, leaders of NGO. Specialists of KRCHF conducted 8 seminars
and trainings on practical protection of human rights for all volunteers
and interns. Every month interns had meetings with leading specialists
of Kherson city executive committee, social services, workers of the city
center of labor and pension funds, leaders of NGO.
Over the year 2001 interns provided 2022 free juridical and social consultations
for poor people of Kherson region. They wrote 155 claims, 21 appellation
and cassation claims, 23 complaints to the department of justice, 7 -
to passport tables, 6 - to organs for social protection, 4 - property
department, 2 - notary offices.
Such facts show that the Center is popular: regional state administration,
city executive committees and district executive committees, district
departments for social protection of citizens, prosecutors, courts, departments
for work with minor criminals, orphanages, newspapers editorials and NGO
send poor citizens and clients to the Center.
In 2001 students-interns and rights defenders of NGO protected the Foundation's
clients in 98 court hearings in 46 civil cases and on 32 out of them.
If we evaluate the work of the Center according to the minimal official
prices for juridical consultations, then in 2001 poor citizens of Kherson
region received services that cost 28,340 UAH. Besides, interns had free
trainings that according to the lowest prices would cost 8640 UAH.
But the most important is that due to activeness of students-lawyers poor
citizens of Kherson region had access to justice. And there was not a
single kopeck given for this from the state budget.
Since November 2000 till November 2001 project "Center for pubic
protection of rights" was fulfilled with financial assistance of
International Renaissance Foundation and Charles Stuart Mott foundation.
Now the center keeps developing thanks to the optimism of volunteers from
Kherson regional charity and health foundation and students-lawyers.
Newly elected deputies of Kherson regional council are interested in work
of the Center - they liked our idea of cooperation with students-lawyers.
Deputies are now determined to involve students to work with voters in
their public consultation rooms.
Specialists and students-volunteers of the Center are thankful to the
colleagues from Mykolaiv regional committee for protection of human rights,
Mykolaiv regional committee "Pravozashchitnik-I", NGO "The
Professional Assistance" (Komsomolsk, Poltava region), Sevastopol
rights-defending group for their assistance in fulfillment of this project.
Consultations at the Center for public protection of rights in Kheron
regional charity and health foundation are conducted Monday through Friday,
from 10am till noon - social consultations, 1pm till 3pm - juridical consultation.
Address: Kherson, ul. Frunze, 2, office 24, tel. 38 (0552) 24-60-03.
Clients from remote districts can send written questions and receive written
consultation.
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