Author: Tetiana Palamar

Nadiya, who lives with HIV, came to the local laboratory to have the tests taken. At the reception, she showed her disability identity card to receive benefits.

In the nurse’s office, they started to demand additional payment from her for test tubes for CD4+ T-lymphocyte and viral load tests. Nadiya refused to pay on principle because she knew this option had to be free.

The argument started on that basis. The laboratory worker asked Nadiya very rudely to put away her “HIV” ID card. Since the laboratory was crowded that day, all the people in the line heard this quarrel and learned about the client’s HIV+ status. Because of this, Nadiya, unable to cope with her emotions, ran away in tears.

Having calmed down, the woman came to REAct specialists for help and justice. A friendly psychologist conducted consultations to stabilize Nadiya’s condition, and the documentator referred the woman to a social worker, who accompanied her to the head of the laboratory. The receptionist initially did not admit her fault, referring to the fact that the client did not understand everything. Still, some explanatory work was conducted, during which she was also informed about the possible consequences of disclosing information about the client’s positive HIV status. After the conversation, Nadiya received all the necessary tests with appropriate discounts.

Iryna, a sex worker, told a REAct documentator that the police were constantly harassing her on the highway, blackmailing and threatening her. The woman had to regularly pay them money to continue working and be under protection and not get into the police office every time.

Every such meeting ends with stress for Iryna. The last time the policeman, whom she had not seen before, behaved rudely, insulted, and humiliated her. When, after regular payment, the woman tried to send him away, arguing that his behavior scares away her clients, the policeman grabbed Iryna, twisted her arms, bent over the car bonnet, and simulated sexual intercourse. At the same time, he shouted in her ear that she was “done” and what he would do to her.

Iryna is afraid to complain about them to the police as she understands that they can detain her because of taking drugs.

After hearing that, the documentator, Olena, suggested that she would meet a psychologist and a lawyer. The psychologist provided the woman with the necessary support, helped her to work through profound emotional experiences, and told her about tools to deal with panic attacks and stressful conditions. Later, the client agreed to several additional meetings to level her psycho-emotional state.

The lawyer, in turn, advised Iryna about her rights and their protection in case of violation. She explained the procedure for filing a complaint, the possibility of compensation for damages, and choosing the best course of action. The client was offered practical assistance when filing complaints and claims against offenders.

Together with the lawyer and REAct coordinator in the Rivne region, they visited the head of the Regional Patrol Police Department, where they reported extortion of funds. The victim’s name was not disclosed, and the conversation occurred verbally without submitting a claim, as Iryna was the only thing agreed to. In turn, the head of the Department promised to conduct an internal investigation and deal with the problem.

Currently, Iryna is no longer in contact with the police and is completely satisfied with the assistance provided to her.

Andriy asked the REActor to advise and help redirect him to the MSEC regarding his diagnosis. The man said that his family doctor refused to turn the patient in for the medical and social examination, explaining that “as to the diseases Andriy has, the commission will not be able to give him a disability group.”

The rejects lasted for about a year: either the doctor sent the man to collect additional medical documents from an infectious disease specialist and a physiologist, or the family doctor did not have time to prepare documents for MSEС.

After hearing the story, the REAactor visited the family doctor personally regarding the systematic delay and refusal to redirect the client to a medical and social examination regarding his diseases. In response, the family doctor once again argued about the lack of time to prepare the necessary documents because he had “a lot of sicker patients”, so he did not have time to do everything simultaneously.

After that, the documentator suggested visiting the head doctor – the institution chief – and discussing the situation together. Immediately after that, the doctor promised to issue the necessary documents in 3 days and advised “not to wash dirty linen in public places.”

As of September 15, 2023, all the necessary documents were provided, and Andrii was sent to MSEC, where the man received the 3rd group of disability for one year.

Oksana, an HIV-positive client, turned to a REActor from CO “100% of LIFE. Ivano-Frankivsk”. The woman asked for assistance in arranging a medical examination at a gynecologist.

She told the REActor about her last attempt to get a routine check-up, during which, for her safety and the doctor’s safety, she informed the doctor that she was HIV-positive. As a result, the doctor refused further examination, justifying it with the following phrase: “There was no need to make an appointment with me; I do not consult such people.”

After learning about this situation, the documentator contacted a friendly gynecologist and arranged the necessary examination and consultation for Oksana. In addition, she received psychological aid and further support.

According to the Law about Prevention of Discrimination, the doctor who treated Oksana in a discriminatory way because of her HIV status could be prosecuted. However, the client refused to submit a claim and from further case consideration.

Olga lives in a small town in the Zhytomyr region. For some time, she was in a relationship with a man who started showing aggression; because of this, Olga had to leave him to save her child’s mental health and her own life.

After that, the ex-husband started pursuing the woman because she did not want to return to him. The last straw for the victim was the fact that the “ex” posted a joint photo with Olga on his Facebook page and captioned it: “I finally left the HIV carrier; she “awarded” me with AIDS.” Although the man was healthy.

The woman was desperate because she had a small daughter and was afraid of persecution because of her HIV status. Olga no longer knew how to stop this, so she turned to REAct specialists.

The client was provided with psychological support and advice on further actions to protect her rights. Olga was told about her husband’s criminal responsibility for disclosing her HIV status. As the woman had already applied to the police and received no response, REAct experts recommended using again with a claim and emphasizing the mandatory police response according to Article 10.

Thanks to the intervention of a paralegal who accompanied the second appeal to the police and Olga`s persistence, who was already aware of her rights` protection and duties of the police, the claim was accepted, and the offender was reprimanded. Today, nothing threatens the woman. She has become more self-confident because she knows she is protected.

Before the full-scale invasion, Marianna, a client of the OST program, lived with her son in the Kherson region. After the explosion of Kakhovskaya HPP, the family was forced to move to Odesa. The woman immediately applied for an IDP and found a part-time job fast.

Marianna’s son is eight years old. The boy has a speech delay and does not walk well. When the issue of enrolling in school arose, the woman heard only refusals in educational institutions. During a conversation with the director of one of the schools, Marianna explained that her son studied at a regular school in Kherson and covered the program perfectly. The boy has been unable to walk since birth, but all his mental abilities are at the level of an average child.

Despite all the pleas, the director did not agree to enroll the boy. Moreover, during the conversation, she emphasized that Marianna probably had been using drugs, which is why she had such a child. In addition, the director remarked that regarding the woman’s lifestyle, she would not have time to help her son at home. Moreover, the school does not want to take responsibility for the success of “such a child.” The official reason for the refusal was the client’s son’s disability and speech delay.

Marianna turned to a REAct documentator in despair. The specialist provided the woman with primary legal advice and psychological support. Later, it was decided to redirect the client to the partner NGO “PROJECTOR”, where she received secondary legal advice.

The lawyer has explained to Marianna that if the director refuses to provide a place for her child at school due to a disability, she should contact the education department, where she will be helped with the admission of the child to school. He determined the algorithm of the following actions. A few days later, the mother received a phone call from the school director with whom there was a conflict earlier. The woman apologized and invited Marianna to submit the necessary documents to start her studies. The child has been enrolled in school and studies at the same level as his peers.

Alina is a client living with HIV. The girl turned to the REActor from CO “100% Life” for help. She sought advice and support in deciding about her next steps in taking ARV therapy.

Alina’s husband is an HIV/AIDS denialist. Therefore, he interfered with and talked Alina out of taking ARV therapy, claiming he did not believe in any diagnoses. He is sure the virus does not exist and all the evidence is fake. The man argued that pharmaceutical companies invented HIV to make good money, and such a diagnosis is made only based on the results of false tests. Consequently, he constantly urged his wife to refuse “the poison” – antiretroviral therapy.

The documentator met with the HIV-positive client and emphasized the importance and benefits of ARV therapy to improve and maintain her health. Additionally, a CO “100% Life” social worker was assigned to Alina to obtain social support services and resume ART therapy. She was also assisted with registering for dispensary registration at the AIDS center. After a medical examination, the girl received the necessary antiretroviral treatment and currently takes it continuously.

Yulia turned to the women’s consultation of one of the healthcare facilities in Kyiv to get advice on pregnancy registration. She was terrified and anxious about her HIV-positive status.

During the consultation, the gynecologist who conducted the appointment, after getting to know about Yulia’s HIV-positive status, started telling her off: “What are you thinking about? You have AIDS! You will give birth to a sick child. I do not advise you to give birth at all as there will be problems later. Moreover, the child will be born with defects, which will be your fault.”

Such doctor`s behavior was not only unreasonably aggressive, but it also deprived Yulia of receiving proper medical advice and care. The frightened and frustrated girl turned to the partner charity organization hotline “Positive Women,” where she received support and advice on further actions.

Yulia has been explained that as she takes antiretroviral therapy and has high adherence to the treatment, her viral load can be zero, and it does not interfere with a healthy pregnancy and the birth of a healthy baby. Thanks to the support of the “Positive Women” organization, Yuliya was redirected to amicable and tolerant medical professionals; they provided her with necessary medical care and counseling regarding her pregnancy. Thus, she was able to receive a decent level of medical assistance despite her HIV-positive status.

The girl was also recommended to make a written claim to the head doctor of the healthcare facility regarding the discriminatory attitude of the gynecologist, but she refused.

Nastya turned to the village council to obtain a residence registration certificate. The village council secretary looked contemptuously at the girl and advised her to get the certificate in Diya because she did not have time for such matters. The girl was confused and asked for help, but the secretary simply left the office.

Nastya started to search for how to generate the certificate and overheard from the corridor how the worker was loudly discussing with other workers. The words sounded like this: “What a shame”, “dissolute”, “What a shame to walk on earth”, and “pity for her mother”. The girl burst into tears but could still get the certificate from Diya. When the secretary returned, Nastya asked her to print it out as she needed it urgently. But she received the answer: “The printer does not work! Go and pay somewhere – you have money, but if you don’t – then you know how to earn it!” The humiliated girl left the village council and decided to turn to REActors, which she heard about from a SW friend.

The client received a psychologist’s consultation aimed at solving psychological problems and internal conflict, creating favorable conditions for positive changes and further personality development. In addition, the psychologist provided recommendations for dealing with traumatic stress and helped to stabilize Nastya’s need for the time of appeal.

An amicable lawyer advised the girl to file a complaint demanding to protect her legal citizen interests, which were violated by the secretary`s actions (inactions). The girl was also explained her rights and existing methods of their protection.

The REAct project coordinator and the documentator helped her compile a complaint about the village council secretary. The girl personally submitted it to the village head and also sent a letter to the official mailbox requesting to inform her about the response. The village council secretary called the girl with an apology the next day. Nastya was later told that the secretary was reprimanded.

Sofia came to receive humanitarian aid at the Social Assistance Centre point. Many people were in the Point, and everyone was waiting their turn, so the girl suggested her mother and child wait outside.

When Sofia’s turn came, the girl received a grocery set and clothes that did not fit her. She immediately asked to replace them. The woman who had given out the aid got angry and started shouting: “I won’t change anything! Be grateful for everything being given to you for free! Look at her, how picky she is! If you want something better, go to the soldiers; they will give you what you like!”

Sofia was confused and ashamed because many people heard this; they started looking around and whispering. The girl tried to defend herself and emphasized that the woman had no right to speak like that, everyone was equal, and she also had an IDP certificate. In response, the employee of the Point grabbed the grocery set and the clothes she had given before, put them aside, and said with a smile: “Everyone has a certificate, but not everyone is dissolute! There is nothing to do here for you! The others will get more! Get out of here, boorish you, or I’ll call the police!” None of the people around came to the girl’s defense. In despair, Sofia called her friend, who had already turned for help fighting against discrimination, to REAct specialists.

Sofia received a consultation from an amicable psychologist aimed at working with her experiences, relationships, problems, and conflicts. The psychologist helped the girl learn self-regulation, find ways to solve her problems, observe and clarify her life situation, and actualize additional resources to adapt to new conditions or find the way out of difficult circumstances. The consultation also included information on stress management tools and dealing with panic attacks.

In her turn, a lawyer from the partner organization provided advice on the client’s rights, a reference to the legislation for guidance, and helped file a complaint about the social worker.

The next day, Sofia turned to the head of the social and humanitarian aid department and filed a complaint about the employee. They apologized, immediately provided the necessary aid, and promised to react to the employee’s actions. A day later, Sofia got a call saying such situations were unacceptable, so the social worker got fired.

Iryna, the mother of a 16-year-old boy, turned to the documentator of the REAct project. He began to use narcotic substances periodically. The mother repeatedly tried to hold conversations with her son, but it yielded no results, only negativity on his part.

On the advice of a friend, Iryna decided to contact the local family and youth center, as she was looking for a specialist who could help in this situation. However, instead of help, the employees of the Center turned to the Children’s service, which, in turn, sent a request to the city council to deprive the mother of her parental rights. They brutally humiliated the woman and condemned her upbringing, arguing that the boy should be sent to a specialized institution or a rehabilitation center “for drug addicts”.

After the stress experienced, Iryna turned to REAktor in desperation. The documentator, being aware of the procedure for the deprivation of parental rights, turned to the city council with a request to invite the mother and the REactor as her representative to the executive committee meeting. At the meeting, he explained the situation to the executive committee members and provided recommendations from the mother’s place of work and characteristics from the neighbors. The executive committee rejected the service for children and obliged them to allow the boy to have conversations with a psychologist.

On the recommendation of the documentator, the boy and his mother were referred to a friendly psychologist, who only needed a few meetings to work on the boy’s lifestyle and change it for the better. In addition, in cooperation with the head of the Department of Family Medicine, the boy was sent to a sanatorium to change the environment and communicate with his peers.