Author: Tetiana Palamar

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.

Larisa has been using drugs for more than ten years and is HIV-positive. Having children, the woman has learned to use the drugs in a controlled manner and treats her health consciously.

At the beginning of May, Larisa and her son set off to one of the local lyceums to submit an entrance application form to the first form for the new study year. The woman had chosen precisely this educational institution because of its proximity to their home, and everything seemed to be going the right way. The secretary of the lyceum had already started checking and filing the documents as the future class teacher of Larisa`s son entered the office. The teacher appeared to be an old acquaintance of the woman, so she knew about her risky lifestyle. In the child’s presence, she started offending the client and informed her that “drug-addict” families would not be in her class as such people have no place in her “elite class”. Larisa decided not to continue the conflict rolling out in her child`s presence, leaving the educational institution upset.

The next day, the woman decided to turn to the REAct project. After hearing that, the documentator immediately intervened and promised to help. Larisa received psychological assistance and a consultation about the legal issues and offered to talk with the director of the lyceum about the situation that had arisen. Besides, the client received help compiling an official form regarding refusing to provide educational service.

Later, during the conversation with the documentator, the director of the lyceum apologized to Larisa and helped her to choose another class teacher for her child. Regarding the official response that the client received, the teacher who had refused the child`s education was reprimanded and given a disciplinary conversation.

Hanna asked the REActor for help on the phone. The woman reported that a client beat her. The man stole her money and ran away. Considering that they were outside the city, Hanna couldn’t call a taxi, so she decided to call an ambulance. Yet the ambulance operator refused to send the car as he did not see the necessity to do that. Moreover, he recommended Hanna in the future “to think with her head and not get drunk, because with such a profession she can even lose her life.”

Hanna realized that in such a condition, with a face beaten and in blood, in the dark time of the day and without money, she had no chance of stopping a passing by car. Being desperate, she decided to turn to a REAct documentator.

The documentator, Olena, and the coordinator, Yulia, personally collected Hanna from the place of the event and delivered her to the nearest ambulance station, where they stayed with Hanna all the time and supported her. The client was given first aid: her wounds were treated, and the stitches were put on the open wound on the head. Hanna refused to report to the police. She was later taken home and made sure to be safe.

In two days, the client met with an amicable psychologist who provided Hanna with a psychological consultation on living through the violence and fighting post-traumatic stress. The psychologist helped identify the problem and voice the feelings. After the session, Hanna was also offered some more free meetings to stabilize her emotional state.

Natalia is a pensioner who has a disability of the 2nd group. The woman has faced difficulties in the ambulatory stage in the local clinic during the tuberculosis treatment. In June, she was refused to receive the next portion of the anti-tuberculosis drugs, arguing that Natalia hadn`t undergone the intermediate diagnostics in the regional anti-tuberculosis dispensary located outside the city.

Unfortunately, the client did not have the financial means to do that, and because of her health condition, she could not realize this trip. Considering that the break in the treatment could have negatively affected the results of the fight against tuberculosis, the woman applied to the REAct project documentator. REAtor immediately contacted the medical worker who had refused Natalia and explained that the specialized transport that ran according to the schedule was possible to send the patient’s biomaterial to the dispensary laboratory.

Later, the documentator organized the sending of the necessary biomaterial, which made it possible to conduct the examination that supported the provision of anti-tuberculosis treatment. Thanks to the intervention of the documentator, Natalia’s treatment was resumed, and the woman was given all the necessary anti-tuberculosis drugs. With the help of REAct, the client received new hope for recovery and successfully overcoming this severe disease.

Viktoriia contacted the REActor for help because her child was being bullied in daycare. The little girl had repeatedly complained at home that other kids were constantly saying bad things about her mother, the teacher called her names in front of everyone, made her pick up and put away the toys other children had been playing with, and yelled at her. Viktoriia suspected being a target of mean-spirited comments and verbal abuse behind her back so she asked the kid’s grandmother to pick her up after daycare. But the last straw was when the kid complained to the daycare teacher that another girl was calling her names and hitting her, but the woman replied that it was all her own fault and blamed it all on her poor upbringing.

The little girl came home all in tears and flat-out refused to go to daycare again. The next day, Viktoriia visited the daycare center in person and discussed the situation with the teacher. The latter brushed all accusations aside and advised the client to adjust her behavior and take better care of her child because otherwise, the girl would grow up to be just like her mother. “Everyone knows perfectly well what kind of lifestyle you lead,” the teacher said as they were wrapping up the conversation.

The client was outraged and replied that her private life had nothing to do with anything and that she was a good mother and spent enough time with her kid. Some personal remarks were exchanged, and then the head of the daycare center joined in the argument to privately advise the woman to find another daycare for her kid given the negative attitudes shown by the parents of the other kids. Realizing that the situation was hopeless, Viktoriia got in touch with the REActor for assistance and guidance.

The REActor, Olena, and the project coordinator, Yulia, escorted the client to the psychologist’s office. The latter talked her through the necessary steps to take and gave her recommendations on how to behave in stressful situations and how to provide support and distract the child from negativity, as well as how to show love and empathy. Apart from this, a joint session with the child was suggested to properly explain the reasons behind the negative attitudes towards her and improve the situation for the future.

In addition, the project’s legal counsel gave Viktoriia an initial consultation over the telephone. The lady specialist explained what to do if her child is bullied, what parents are supposed to do if that happens, and where to seek help if necessary. Viktoriia received assurances of support and assistance in case she should encounter any legal issues. However, the client refused to file a complaint with authorities and chose to transfer her kid to another daycare center with a more child-friendly environment, but she agreed to receive further psychological counseling.

Andriy contacted the REActor asking for support in getting medical care, as his pleas were denied by the military commissariat (Armed Forces Recruiting Office). The man reported being detained on the street by draft office personnel and taken to the commissariat, where the client tried to explain that he was severely ill and unfit for combat duty for health reasons (as he had stage 4 AIDS disease). The commissariat representatives replied that they had their physical evaluation board to carry out medical fitness assessments and that they would evaluate Andriy’s fitness for military service, even though he was willing and ready to provide relevant medical records and reports.

When Andriy showed up to undergo a medical, the doctors on the physical evaluation board would not even listen to the man’s health complaints and declared him perfectly healthy and fit for service.

Once all the facts were in hand, the REActor immediately headed to the relevant Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center located in Odesa. In a conversation with the second-in-command officer, the REActor explained that Andriy was severely ill and had all the supporting documentation readily available. In addition, the man takes his ART regularly, is unable to function in daily life without medication, and his condition requires ongoing medical supervision and monitoring by an infectious disease specialist, which can also be confirmed and supported by appropriate documentary evidence.

The military recruiting office agreed to wait until the REActor and the client’s sister provided the necessary paperwork. The REActor called Andriy’s attending physician, who flat-out refused to provide the family with any Medical Certification of Illness, even though the client consented to this arrangement.

After lengthy discussions with the military recruiting office, the latter finally agreed to take the client to the regional AIDS center for a medical examination, which confirmed that Andriy was indeed suffering from AIDS and TB, and needed treatment. After that, the client was released, removed from the military conscription register, and recognized as unfit for military service for health reasons.

To birth her baby in safety, a pregnant PLHIV client moved from a war-stricken area where she was residing to a relatively peaceful city and obtained an IDP status certificate for herself. Once her baby was born, Inna found herself in a desperate situation and thought she would also try to get her baby recognized as an IDP. When she applied for this to the Social Welfare Office located in the area of temporary resettlement, she was denied this service because allegedly she was already a recipient of social assistance as a single mother.

When Inna questioned the case worker’s decision and mentioned her friend from another city who had the same status but was awarded a targeted child benefit, the welfare worker she was talking with framed her response rudely saying, “I’m the law here, and I decide who gets the support here and who does not,” and advised her to be thankful, even if just for the amount of money she was already getting.

Following this dispute, to see justice done, Inna made up her mind to seek help from the REActor. Once the client stated her case, the REActor offered free legal aid via an online platform. During the session, the legal counsel explained that the woman’s rights had indeed been violated in this case, as described below:

• The living allowance paid to IDPs has nothing to do with accessing social assistance as a single mother;

• Babies born to IDPs are eligible for IDP certification and financial support.

Next, with the client’s consent, professional legal assistance was provided to draft an official letter addressed to the Head of the Social Welfare Department in the city where Inna was staying, pointing out these procedural violations and asking for feedback.

The woman has now been contacted by a representative of this Department and invited to apply for getting an IDP status certificate for her baby. She received a verbal response to her letter and was informed that the employee who had refused her this service in violation of applicable policies and regulations had been officially reprimanded and made to undergo a re-credentialing process for an ad-hoc re-evaluation.

The sister of a client with TB approached the REActor based in a friendly NGO, “100 Percent Life Ivano-Frankivsk” (Charitable Organization), asking for help in dealing with the situation in the school that her nephews attended.

Anna, the Project’s client, is currently undergoing inpatient treatment at a local lung disease center, and the school administration where her kids are enrolled has found out about this. On the basis of their mother’s diagnosis, the school’s administration began to discriminate against the minors on a regular basis. It even threatened to take steps demanding that the kids be removed from the family home. They argued that the “lack of adequate parental care and supervision due to their mother’s illness” required the children to live with their aunt.

Moreover, the school administration repeatedly questioned the health of the client’s children and tried to separate them from other students. On multiple occasions, threats and insults in this vein were made in the presence of the kids and their fellow students, thus negatively affecting both their psychological well-being and academic performance.

The REActor provided an initial legal consultation for Anna’s sister. Apart from that, together with the client’s sister, he drafted a letter to the school administration explaining the provisions of the anti-discrimination legislation and attached an evaluation report detailing the children’s living arrangements and the certification of good health. On top of this, the children were provided with psychological assistance and support by specialists from a friendly organization.

Once the letter was received by the school administration, they immediately discontinued the misguided practice and never again summoned the client’s sister to school or threatened the kids.

Being a sex worker with HIV-positive status and an internally displaced person from the occupied part of the Donetsk region, Yuliia stayed at the Kryvyi Rih Rehabilitation Center. Since the year before, she had been a client of the partner organization, linked to a healthcare facility for case management and ART, and enrolled in the CIRI intervention (accessing support for 12 months).

Six months after being started on the therapy, Yuliia suddenly cut off all communication with her case manager and doctor. After a while, the woman finally contacted the REActor over the phone asking for help. As it turned out, the client had decided to drop out of her rehabilitation program, believing that now she was well able to lead a life of sobriety without any outside help. The woman moved to another region and tried to find a job there, but after a short time, she returned to retaking drugs and quit ART.

Due to such drastic changes, Yuliia’s health suffered a major setback. To make matters worse, one evening, she was attacked by two unidentified men who beat her up and then raped her. As a result, the woman suffered severe concussions to the head and sought professional help from the local General Practice/Family Medicine Clinic. They turned her away, without even providing first aid service, arguing that she had no signed medical services contract (the Healthcare Services Declaration Form) with a local doctor. Next, the woman turned to the district police officer for help but was also refused help and advised to get back to the rehabilitation center.

Yuliia had neither the strength nor the money to return to Kryvyi Rih immediately. So she called up the REActor and asked for help. In the end, the client was brought home through everyone’s efforts. Yuliia was provided with psychological and emotional support, as well as primary legal aid services in a consultation format. She was also accompanied to the health care facility to resume ART. The woman also received medical care from an ophthalmologist, as her eyesight had significantly deteriorated due to the injuries sustained, and she was prescribed the treatment she needed. Yuliia decided against contacting the police to file charges. She is currently back in rehabilitation and continuing her therapy.