HRW:

Ukraine Not Assisting Displaced People

KIEV (Dispatches) – Human Rights Watch (HRW) has slammed Ukrainian authorities for not providing protection and assistance to tens of thousands of people who have fled their homes amid Ukraine’s military operations in the east of the country.

Date: 22 July 2014 - 22:31

News ID: ۳۰۵۵

The right group made the condemnation on Tuesday in a letter addressed to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
The HRW said that one of its researchers had interviewed displaced people living at temporary facilities in the regions of Kiev, Vinnitsa, Lvov and Kharkov as well as officials and volunteers tasked with providing assistance to those displaced by the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine.
"All displaced people said they received little to no help from the government when they were fleeing from armed conflict areas or when they have sought to secure housing, food, clothing, and other essential items, as well as access to social services,” said the HRW.
"People who fled fighting in the east but remained in the region reported problems accessing medical help due to shortages in emergency medical services, medication, and supplies there,” it added.
The right group also said that despite a government decree in March to set measures to respond to the needs of the displaced people, "our research suggests that these have not yet led to operational changes on the ground.”
Furthermore, the HRW called on Poroshenko’s government to "to adopt legislation that protects displaced people from discrimination based on their status and provides simplified procedures for obtaining new residency registration that is a prerequisite to receiving urgently needed social payments.”
Ukraine launched military operations in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Lugansk in mid-April to crush the pro-Russia protests there. Violence intensified in May after the two flashpoint regions held local referendums, in which their residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence from Ukraine.
Hundreds of people have been killed in the ongoing military campaign in the country. Tens of thousands have been forced from their homes, with many escaping to Russia, while over 4.5 million people remain in the conflict zone, according to a UN report.