Yesterday, November 16, a working meeting with the representative of the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in the Dnipropetrovska Oblast was held in Dnipro, organized by the ICF “Alliance for Public Health”.
Within the framework of the meeting, topical issues of ensuring the observance of the rights of key groups vulnerable to HIV and tuberculosis in the Dnipropetrovska Oblast were discussed based on the results of the implementation of the system for monitoring and responding to violations of the rights of key groups vulnerable to HIV and TB – REAct.
The event was attended by general directors of medical institutions in the region that provide services to key communities, representatives of VONA and VOLNA, regional coordinators of the REAct project in the cities of Dnipro and Kryvyi Rih, specialists from the Department of Public Health of the Dnipro City Council, the Eastern Interregional Department of the National Health Service of Ukraine and others.
More than 50 participants, including chief doctors and doctors of medical institutions in Dnipro and the region, joined the event online.
During the discussion, the importance of working not only with existing cases of violation of the rights of key communities but also of taking measures to prevent them was emphasized. In particular, identifying the prerequisites and causes of rights violations is the foundation for changes in the legal environment.
The representative of the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in the Dnipropetrovska Oblast expressed his support and readiness to contribute to the resolution of cases of violation of the rights of communities in the region:
“We are ready to be that coordination platform, we are ready to hear about individual cases, and we also monitor systemic problems. We have to join our efforts”
According to the results of the event, possible algorithms of interaction between interested parties were determined as part of responding to cases of violation of the rights of key groups vulnerable to HIV and TB, as well as ways to prevent and reduce the occurrence of such claims.
For reference:
According to the REAct system, since 2019, 2,370 cases of violation of the rights of representatives of key communities have been recorded in the Dnipropetrovska Oblast, which is 25% of the total number of appeals throughout Ukraine.
Read more about the operation of the REAct system in the Dnipropetrovska Oblast in the booklet (available in Ukrainian).