Lawyers assistant at KRCHF Babiychuk Oleksandr

"Students for Parliament" - this is the name of the program for students from 3rd-5th courses at the committees of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. This program is conducted for the fifth time by an NGO "Youth Alternative" (Kiev) with financial support of National Fund for Support of Democracy. Participants for the program are chosen out of students of 3rd-5th courses. This year was the first year when students from regional institutes (not only from the capital) could apply for the program. Out of 15 winners from Ukraine there was one person from Kherson - student of a distnt learning program from the 4th course of Kherson branch of Kharkiv national University of internal affairs. His name is Oleksandr Babiychuk. Most of 172 applicants were highly qualified people - they are fluent in English, work on computer, orient in current political and economical situation. But Oleksandr Babiychuk differed out of 172 people because he had already spent 2 years working as a volunteer lawyer's assistant t the Center for public protection of rights of KRCHF. He provided 106 consultations free of charge to pensioners, people with disabilities, big families, lonely mothers, he also wrote 28 court claims, 8 claims for the special court cases, 24 appellations to prosecutor's office and other organizations and 14 complaints. He also presented clients in 10 court hearings and won 5 cases, 4 cases are still in the progress. Besides all mentioned above, he conducted seminars on human rights for students of Kherson schools #53 and 18, participated in the monitoring of fulfilling pre-election programs by deputies of city levels (campaign of Committee of Voters of Ukraine, "Three years waiting for promised")
Winner of the contest "Students for Parliament" Oleksandr Babiychuk had his internship for 4 months at the Central Election Commissions.
Here is what he told about his job:
The very first day Mykhailo Mykhailovych Ryabets gave me Law about Election of people's deputies with comments. He also announced that they have alack of workers that's why I would have to work on the same level with others. I was sent to methodic department and was signed for work with work with district commissions of Volyn, Ivano-Frankivsk, Zakarpattya and Lviv regions - 29 commissions in total. From early morning till late at night I provided people with consultations on using the Law about election of people's deputies, collected information about members of commissions, candidates for deputies, official observers etc. Every day communicated with headquarters of parties, blocks, invited them for the meetings of Commission. I also composed a plan of work for our department and a directory of phone number of district commissions.
After elections I analyzes lists of district commissions, detected some mistakes and lacks of information. I checked documents of newly elected people's deputies before registration and was present when new deputies were receiving temporary IDs.
And when elections were finished I had new job - to analyze the law and detect mistakes and clash areas that allowed some newly elected deputies to win over their opponents.
Only after I came back I home I noticed two main changes in myself. First - four months ago I could never think how much I know and can do. Second - I lost any fear for respectful governmental institutions. Before that, state administration or regional council seemed distant and unachievable, not to mention Central Election Commission. Now I precept them as necessary instruments for organization of normal life in the country and feel the same "fear" as to ZHEK #9"
You can learn more about work of NGO "Youth Alternative" at www.ya.org.ua