The national police of Ukraine in cooperation with the Foundation and the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights started an experiment with an early awareness of victims, witnesses and detainees about their rights.
A legal clinic (not to be confused with medical institutions) is a structural division of the University in which law students under professors’ guidance gain practical training – to provide Pro Bono assistance.
Poverty, low level of legal awareness and lack of legal services are key factors that isolate the rural population from the state legal system and justice. Legal needs in remote communities in the majority of cases remain unsatisfied, and the question of equal access to justice remains open. The need to expand access to justice creates a need for the involvement into raising legal awareness of persons who have no legal education, as law graduates typically seek work in large cities, where the creditworthiness of customers is much higher than in rural areas.
Since the middle of 2015 in Ukraine the state system of providing free secondary legal aid in civil and administrative cases is adjusted: 100 local centers for free secondary legal aid are opened in all regions. Formation of coalitions of organizations that provide legal aid started in territorial communities.
Over 100 soldiers visit daily a volunteer point of aid to ATO participants at the Southern Station in Kyiv. Some people are going to ATO zone, others are coming back home. They can drink tea, wait for the train, talk to other combatants, charge their mobile phones, read some useful literature at the recreation point.
For three days, on November 11-13, 2015 Pro Bono experts shared about their experience and generated new ideas at the 9th European Pro Bono Forum in Rome. Ukrainian Pro Bono exchange was presented by Ukrainian Legal Aid Foundation and Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union (UHHRU).
Now it is possible to receive free secondary legal aid (FSLA) in 100 local centers.
“My father died because of an illness caused by military service. It is specified in the medical certificate. Having collected a lot of documents, my mother and I managed to receive the certificates of members of the family of the fallen soldier and to receive a 50% discount on the utility bills. The mother's certificate is valid for life time or until she gets married for the second time. The mine is valid until my majority. But since July of this year it’s not valid. I re-read the Law “About the Status of Veterans of War, a Guarantee of Their Social Protection” that affirms the right, but didn't find any changes. Please, explain why the benefits have been abolished. On the basis of what normative legal act?” This is the question Olena asked in a chat room of “Legal Space”.
Human rights activists, lawyers, ATO combatants will develop training program for lawyers of system of free secondary legal aid, who provide legal aid to ATO combatants. It was reported on October 20 in Kyiv, at a working meeting on development of training course of legal aid to ATO combatants and members of their families.
To provide professional legal aid to peaceful protestors who suffered from illegal actions of law enforcement, public organizations join work of the Center for legal aid to peaceful protestors.
