Already this fall, the geography of the REAct project is expanding to include new regions, such as Lviv, Lutsk, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Kherson, and Mykolaiv.
From September 21 through October 13, 2020, a number of working meetings theme-titled, “Implementing the human rights violations monitoring and rapid response system in Ukraine – REAct,” was held for representatives of NGOs in seven regions of Ukraine. The participants of these working meetings included REActors, coordinators from the respective regions, as well as human rights and non-governmental organizations focused on HIV/TB prevention.
During the working meetings, we presented the first results of the REAct project in the pilot regions, shared success stories, and discussed existing human rights barriers to accessing HIV services and further steps to expand the system in these areas.
Since the REAct system is focused on recording individual-level cases of rights violations, it is important for us to involve the maximum number of representatives from local NGOs so that they can become part of the REAct project in their regions. Every rights violation incident, including biased attitudes and treatment by law enforcement or medical personnel, as well as acts of violence, disclosure of HIV status or refusal to provide medical services, or their incomplete scope or poor quality violate the rights of the affected individuals to a dignified life and have a negative impact on the efficacy of measures to address the spread of HIV/TB in the context of prevention and treatment.