Human rights defenders call Ukrainian Parliament to adopt law on IDPs before elections
The activists call Verkhovna Rada to adopt the draft law "On the protection of the rights of internally displaced persons" before the parliamentary elections. According to experts, this law can actually improve the situation of migrants from the Crimea and the eastern regions of Ukraine.
According to the Crimean field mission on Human Rights, the bill was designed in the Presidential Administration, in cooperation with international organizations and human rights defenders. It was introduced by a group of deputies, including Iryna Herashchenko, Andriy Shevchenko, Valery Patskan, Iryna Lutsenko and others.
"The organizations working with IDPs, and experts of the resuscitation reform package require that deputies passed the bill in this Parliament. It is important not to lose time and to start implementing the law as soon as possible, which will help the displaced," said the expert of the Crimean field mission Tetyana Pechonchyk.
According to her, the bill contains a number of fundamentally new provisions aimed at addressing the pressing issues on the livelihoods of internally displaced persons and their family members, namely:
- Facilitation of temporary registration of internally displaced persons, reducing the time for consideration of applications for registration and re-registration (up to one day). Registration of immigrants allows them to gain access to the entire range of administrative services, including re-registration of business and continuation of economic activity;
- Continuation of the payment of social benefits to internally displaced persons, ensuring their social and medical services;
- Development of specific complex government programs, the creation and maintenance of a unified registry database of internally displaced persons;
- Providing IDPs with information about the places of settlement and employment opportunities;
- Providing the guarantees of the social security and pensions by the state;
- Financing expenditures related to the temporary settlement of families of internally displaced persons in the state and municipal institutions;
- Ability to quickly leverage the resources of international organizations, international technical assistance for establishing resettlement places for long-term placement of internally displaced persons and principles for the development of their respective housing-related infrastructure.
Te previous bill, "On the legal status of persons forced to leave the place of residence as a result of the temporary occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol city, or circumstances related to the anti-terrorist operation in the Ukraine", was adopted on June 19, but declined by President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko. It was also opposed by human rights organizations, who stated that it violated the rights of IDPs.
