Monitoring human rights in the Odessa region

On 25 July a press conference called by the Odessa Regional Section of the All-Ukrainian Civic Organization “The Committee of Voters of Ukraine” presented the project “Monitoring of the observance of human rights and promoting their defence in the Odessa region – 2006”

The project began in July 2006 and will continue to January 2007. The project is no chance undertaking, since human rights activities are an integral part of the activities of our civic organization. In 2005 we successfully completed a similar project. The tasks before us now are to carry out systematic monitoring of how human rights are observed in the Odessa region, and to inform the public both about their rights and the level to which they are being complied with.

Within the framework of the project we will also be providing free legal aid to victims of human rights violations.

The monitoring will be carried out by analyzing publications in the mass media, making formal requests for information from the authorities, spot checks on districts of the region, the work of our civic reception centre (for appeals from members of the public), as well as on the basis of material from partner civic organizations and other available sources of information.

In implementing this project we hope for constructive cooperation with civic organizations, the mass media and all those who are interested in ensuring that human rights are safeguarded in our region.

The civic reception centre will be gathering information about violations of human rights as well as providing free legal consultations.  The centre can be contacted everyday except weekends and public holidays by telephone 743-70-13  or by e-mail  [email protected].
As part of this project, we are also planning to carry out an analysis of actual practice in applying the Code of Administrative Justice of Ukraine in order to defend human rights.

An analytical report about the human rights situation in the Odessa region will be put together and published on the basis of our findings.

Since this project is part of an undertaking on a much larger scale – “Human Rights in Ukraine – 2006, our report will be included within the nationwide report of the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group and Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, which will be widely published both in Ukraine and abroad.

The project is being supported by the Democracy Fund of the US Embassy in Kyiv.

The Press Service of the Odessa Regional Section of the Committee of Voters of Ukraine