BackIn 2019, the reform of local self-government and territorial organization of government continued in Ukraine. The process of forming the amalgamated territorial communities brought about the issue of the ability of local self-government bodies to ensure the observance, realization and protection of rights of citizens to social protection, healthcare, work, education and culture. Therefore, one of the strategic directions of the Commissioner’s activity was to exercise parliamentary oversight over the observance of social rights of citizens in the context of decentralization.
As a result of consideration of more than 5,136 reports from citizens to the Commissioner and 66 monitoring visits to local authorities, amalgamated territorial communities, state administrations, departments of labour and social protection, departments on social protection, territorial centres of social services (providers of social services), health care institutions, education and culture facilities revealed a number of systemic violations of social rights of citizens.
The Commissioner further received more than 3,246 reports on human rights violations in the field of social protection. Most reports referred to violations of the rights to retirement benefits, half of them were related to the improper enforcement of court decisions on renewal of their rights. The rest was about securing the right to an adequate standard of living, obtaining benefits and appropriate entitlement status, and the right to a housing subsidy. The Commissioner received reports from persons with disabilities, citizens affected by Chornobyl disaster, rehabilitated or victims of repression, citizens of other privileged categories to protect their rights. Citizens also appealed for protection of the rights of incapacitated persons who are deprived of guardianship guaranteed by law.
Source: Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights
