10%

Access to justice for living in dignity

Supporting people in Ukraine and refugees in Moldova

June 22^nd, 2022

Within a few months of the initial invasion on 24 February, the war in Ukraine has escalated to become one of the worst humanitarian emergencies in the world, with the fastest forced population movement since the Second World War. More than a quarter of the population – close to 14 million Ukrainians – are now displaced; more than 7 million of them within the country.

More than a quarter of the population in Ukraine has been displaced since conflict began. Half of them remain within the country's borders. Photo: Shutterstock

Forced displacement can mean many things – lost homes, lost income, a breakdown of important social and family support networks, disrupted education, little or no access to food and healthcare.

Displacement all too often also removes people from the systems and institutions that are designed to protect them – such as legal aid, courts and other avenues for justice. This pushes people, especially women and girls, into extreme vulnerability.

Incidents of serious human rights violations, including sexual violence and human trafficking, have risen alarmingly since the war began. This has affected not only women and girls but also boys and men.

In such circumstances, protection measures become vitally important.

In Ukraine and in neighbouring Moldova, UNDP is working closely with local organizations to ensure that women and their families who have been forced from their homes get the support they need to live and move safely.

In search of safe haven, seeking shelter from the war

Since the very first day of the war in February, 68-year-old Liubov Maksymovych, a civil activist and head of the UNDP-supported Women’s Perspectives Center NGO in Lviv, Western Ukraine, and her colleagues have collaborated with local volunteers to help find safe shelters for women.

Just after the start of the war, Maksymovych’s NGO received a grant from UNDP and Denmark to establish a temporary shelter for vulnerable women and children fleeing the war, which she set up with the help of a local business.

“The concept behind the shelter was that people come here for a layover of one or two days to decide if they are going abroad or staying in Ukraine,” said Maksymovych, adding that the biggest challenge for the women is restoring a sense of personal security and peace of mind.

Aside from necessities such as food, clothing, medicine, hygiene products and temporary shelter — women also receive psychological and legal help.

Liubov Maksymovych is a civil activist and head of the UNDP-supported Women’s Perspectives Center NGO in Lviv, Ukraine. Photo: UNDP Ukraine/Markiian Lyseiko

A strong focus of Maksymovych’s organization is also on protecting displaced women and children from becoming victims of human trafficking.

To prevent traffickers from exploiting vulnerabilities of people fleeing the war, those at risk need to be aware of the asylum process, to be able to recognize possible risk scenarios and be equipped with information about which services are available at their destination points.

"If women decide to leave Ukraine,” said Maksymovych, “they receive a detailed consultation on how to avoid human trafficking in a foreign country.”

Maksymovych said in the first two months of war more than 400 women and 200 children passed through the shelter. Most of them came from Kharkiv, Bucha, Irpin, Kramatorsk, Sloviansk and Kherson. People learn about the shelter through a network of women’s support groups and organizations.

Within two months of its opening, more than 400 women and 200 children passed through the shelter. Photo: UNDP Moldova

“We have women here who can distinguish different kinds of incoming missiles just by their sound. That time when a missile hit Lviv we had 15 women here. Everyone heard the explosion and could see the smoke. The very next day they all crossed the border and left, and we helped them.”

To provide further support to civil society and to enable sustainable state-led protection against human trafficking, UNDP will support the Ukrainian authorities in the implementation of activities under the Framework of Cooperation between the Government of Ukraine and the UN on the prevention and response to conflict-related sexual violence signed on 3 May 2022.

Starting a new life

Unfortunately for those who are forcibly displaced, the risks don’t end once arriving in a new country.

“Refugees from Ukraine are often lost,” says Ion Calcatinge, a lawyer at the Centre for Social Justice Echitate, a partner of Everyone Contributes for Change (FCPS), a civil society organization supported by UNDP and Sweden. “They do not know much about their rights in the foreign country where they arrive. As a result, they are prone to constant danger due to their vulnerability to fake news, for example. […] I consider that the availability of qualified people who can offer them consultations […] is vital,” he says.

“Refugees from Ukraine are often lost... They do not know much about their rights in the foreign country where they arrive. As a result, they are prone to constant danger due to their vulnerability. ” - Ion Calcatinge, Lawyer, Centre for Social Justice Echitate

Ion Calcatinge, a lawyer at the Centre for Social Justice Echitate, says refugees need help to understand their rights in host countries. Photo: UNDP Moldova

To ensure that refugees from Ukraine have access to free legal services of good quality in Moldova, UNDP and Sweden are supporting the four Dialogue Platforms for Access to Justice in Soroca, Criuleni, Cimișlia and Comrat districts. Established in 2020, their aim is to enhance cooperation between national institutions and local actors in the justice sector on issues related to access to justice for local populations, with a particular focus on vulnerable groups. Since April, the platforms have helped over 110 people and 30 families to register for refugee status, obtain identity and employment documents, and enrol their children in schools or kindergartens. Seventy other refugees, including four children with autism, received psychological assistance, offered by a refugee contracted by FCPS.

In addition, refugees can receive information about the conditions for travelling to other countries and the procedures for obtaining temporary protection when they arrive.

Nicolae and his wife found temporary shelter in Moldova. After the war started, they did not want to leave their home, but when the hostilities intensified, their children convinced them to leave. “The explosions were so powerful that the building was moving and you could not stand still,” remembers Nicolae. His travelling ID had expired. With the support DACIA Youth Resource Center, a member of the Dialogue Platforms for Access to Justice, he was able to renew his documents to travel further to Western Europe to reunite with their children.

While the war in Ukraine is ongoing, Galina plans to stay in Moldova. With her parents, she fled home at the end of February and arrived in the city of Soroca. Here, they found a temporary home, food and medications.

An accountant with seven years of experience, Galina did not want to stay home. “Now I have to earn a living and do something else. And time passes faster if you have a job.” With the help of the DACIA Youth Resource Center, Galina obtained employment documents and got a job at a local garment factory.

Addressing justice needs for resilience and recovery

To protect all people, public institutions must safeguard the rule of law and justice at all times, and especially during war. This can be a large undertaking that can only be possible if collaboration and active engagement is established between the government and civil society. Civil society organizations are critical partners in reaching and delivering justice and legal services to the people most in need. These people-centered, sustained and collaborative efforts are necessary not only for addressing the justice needs of the people of Ukraine today but also for building resilience to uncertainty.

People-centered, sustained and collaborative efforts are necessary not only for addressing the justice needs of the people of Ukraine today but also for building resilience to uncertainty. Photo: UNDP Moldova

In times of war and violence, people are often denied their fundamental rights, face insecurity and experience injustice. The justice and legal needs can be as urgent and important as immediate humanitarian needs are for saving lives, preserving human dignity and alleviating the trauma experienced by people who have found themselves suddenly pushed into extreme vulnerability.

In Ukraine, concrete efforts to protect people from human rights violations and provide access to justice are just some of the ways UNDP and its partners are addressing immediate needs in the short-term while supporting the people and Government of Ukraine as it responds, recovers and rebuilds stronger than ever in the wake of the war.

Button Label

À la recherche d’un équilibre

Start publishing stories like this

Access to justice for living in dignity

Supporting people in Ukraine and refugees in Moldova

Trois communautés côtières mexicaines œuvrent en faveur d’un tourisme durable et communautaire

Un recorrido por tres costas mexicanas que avanzan hacia un turismo sostenible y comunitario

Tour three Mexican coastal communities working towards sustainable, community-based tourism

Tras casi tres años de guerra, el pueblo del Sudán sigue con la esperanza de reconstruir su vida

À bientôt 3 ans de guerre, le peuple soudanais a hâte de se reconstruire

As the war approaches the 3-year mark, Sudan's people can't wait to rebuild their lives