Human rights work makes societies more just, peaceful and sustainable

10 December marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration for Human Rights by the United Nations. On this day, each of us should celebrate the rights we enjoy every day and recognise that we all have a responsibility to promote and defend human rights for all people, everywhere.

Anca Enache and Maria Dorofte write about human rights work in Ukraine.

This year too, human rights face many challenges.

Wartime atrocities threaten human life and human dignity in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar just to mention but a few. International humanitarian law is being challenged or violated. Extreme weather events such as storms, droughts and heat impact the livelihoods, homes and health of many. Poverty is affecting more and more people, including in Europe and Finland, and economic inequality is fuelling divisions, polarisation and racism. Authoritarian ideas and practices affect political participation and the freedom of expression. Women’s and girls’ rights and LGBTQ rights face a backlash in many places. Roma in Europe are experiencing rising poverty and racism. The rights of refugees, migrants and other racialised groups are under constant threat.

At the same time many people are acting to protect human rights, protesting against violations and expressing global solidarity.

This year, on Human Rights Day, the UN Human Rights Commissioner called on everyone to show how human rights are a powerful force for good and a way in times of crisis.

Deaconess Foundation’s work in Ukraine reaffirmed from 2017 to the present confirms that human rights work and human rights approaches and methods are the solution to human dignity in peace, war and crisis.

Human rights work empowers those who are deprived of their rights, to have the courage, means, skills and networks needed to advocate for their rights.

One of the Deaconess Foundation’s key partners in Ukraine, the Roma Women Fund Chiricli, operates through a network of about 70 Roma community workers, spread throughout Ukraine. These community workers are continuously trained to respond to the emerging concerns and needs of the individuals and communities they meet at the local level.

Currently, there is a need to strengthen the skills of community workers in how to meet and support individuals and communities who have experienced trauma and violence. There is also a need to support internally displaced Roma and people with disabilities who have fled the dangerous localities into western Ukraine. Locals in western Ukraine fear an increase in poverty and difficulties in accessing services as displaced people arrive in their areas. Chiricli works with both the established and the newcomers to build bridges and dialogue between them, and to show that their solidarity is equal.

Chiricli has always involved the Roma from communities in its advocacy work at the local, national and international levels. In this way Roma learned who the local authorities were that should address the challenges they face, and how to engage in dialogue with them. They also learned about national and European policies aimed at improving Roma human rights. This work is ongoing, and more and more Roma need to be listened to when they saw whether such programmes and the efforts of the authorities are having a real impact on their lives.

Human rights work supports states and institutions to improve their capacity to respect, promote and fulfil human rights. It promotes dialogue with and learning from those whose rights are not protected. It also fosters international collaboration and peer learning.

In 2018, together with Chiricli, and the cities of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Odessa and Jyväskylä, the Deaconess Foundation started planning working groups meant to bring local Ukrainian authorities and Roma together to talk about the concerns of Roma and to improve their participation and wellbeing. The Ukrainian colleagues thought that it would be useful to hear how dialogue between Roma and the local authorities is structured in Finland.

Together with the Ukrainian Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, we agreed that Roma civil society members would receive training on how to monitor human rights abuses. In this way, the institution of the Commissioner would strengthen its capacity to work with Roma civil society organisations and learn more about the concerns of Roma.

During the 1000 days of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we have stopped working in Donetsk and Luhansk, territories illegally occupied by Russia, at the time of writing. We had to adapt our work and focus on the urgent needs of the Roma communities: helping them to leave dangerous places, organising shelter, heating and food, and informing them about the restrictions imposed by the wartime laws.

We broadened the work from four to twelve municipalities: Kiev, Chernihiv, Kirovohrad, Sumy, Vinnytsia, Volynia, Odessa, Transcarpathia, Zaporizhia, Dnipro, Cherkasy and Lviv. Chiricli is in constant contact with Roma families and communities. Roma who are fleeing or planning to flee are contacted for advice on how to escape, find a place to live in a new locality, send their children to school or receive emergency assistance. Some also ask about crossing borders.

Chiricli runs two emergency shelters for IDPs in Uzhhorod and Mukachevo. The work is carried out in collaboration with the local municipalities, especially those responsible for coordinating humanitarian aid, the army and the police. These authorities need to be aware of the needs of the Roma and ensure that they have equal access and are treated equally. Chiricli also shared its expertise and helped international organisations and CSOs to reach out to Roma communities and involve them in their work.

Chiricli together with other civil society organisations and the Commissioner monitor the human rights situation of Roma. A new human rights issue they have been working on is the rights of internally displaced Roma. According to information from Roma civil society, there are around 100,000 internally displaced Roma in Ukraine.

A grave human rights concern is that some of the internally displaced Roma lack valid identity documents and are deprived of full citizenship and mobility rights. Chiricli, the Commissioner and the Ukrainian institutions responsible for registering citizens are working together to simplify the registration process. Through mobile teams, they have built trust and made the registration procedures accessible and affordable.

Human rights work addresses present injustices and contributes to a more just future.

Ukraine, like most European countries, has a history of unjust treatment of Roma communities. The war has highlighted the vulnerabilities and the human rights challenges faced by many of Ukraine’s Roma: lack of access to citizenship rights, participation, education, housing, adequate income, culture and language, and being victims of discriminatory practices and violence.

The common thread of our activities is to work with Ukrainian institutions, Roma civil society, international organisations and Finnish stakeholders to contribute to policies, structures, processes and know-how that will contribute to a just future and equal rights for Roma and other minorities and vulnerable communities in Ukraine.

Specifically, even during the war, our work has ranged from delivering emergency support and shelter to supporting the National Action Plan of Ukraine’s National Roma Strategy . This is the main national-level policy on Roma in Ukraine. Chiricli has also worked with the authorities to include the concerns of Roma in the reconstruction plans. It has also lobbied the EU to ensure that the rights of Roma are a priority in Ukraine’s’ accession plans.

Non-discrimination and equal treatment is a key principle of the rule of law, of democracies, and central to building social trust and participation. Together with the Ukrainian Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights and Chiricli, we have raised awareness about the right to equal treatment, monitored violations and trained army and police officers on how to interact with Roma people, in a non-discriminatory and trust-building manner.

Happy International Human Rights Day!