Educational-and-Scientific Laboratory for the Research Internally Displaced Persons’ Legal Status Issues and Securing Gender Equality has been created under the Decree by the Presidium of Legal Sciences National Academy of Ukraine No. 102/12 as of 16.03.2017 and the order by DSUIA No. 93 as of 09.02.2017 on the ground of the Agreement between Dnipropetrovsk State University of Internal Affairs and Scientific-Research Institute of State Construction and Local Self-Government of the Legal Sciences National Academy of Ukraine.
Key tasks of the Laboratory are conducting fundamental and applied research in the IDPs legal status and providing gender equality; developing drafts of regulatory legal acts and proposals to advance legislation in force; conducting legal examinations of regulatory legal acts; contributing in introducing scientific research outcomes into the authorities’ activity; holding scientific-and-practical as well as educational events. Practical activity directions: scientific consulting of public authorities; providing legal assistance to IDPs and victims of gender discrimination, legal consulting and informing; conducting educational courses for IDPs and victims of gender discrimination; training of lawyers, police officers and social workers in terms of treating IDPs, victims of gender discrimination or domestic violence, etc.
The Laboratory cooperates with the following international partners: Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the OSCE, international organization “La Strada Ukraine”, EU Project “Pravo-Justice”. The Laboratory cooperates with the following national partners: the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration, Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council, the Main Territorial Department of Justice in Dnipropetrovsk region, the Main Department of the National Police in Dnipropetrovsk region. The Laboratory cooperates with the following social organizations: Ukrainian Social Organization “Ukrainian Bar Association”, Ukrainian Social Organization “Ukrainian Association of Women in Law Enforcement Authorities”, Social Organization “Gender Club “Dnipro”, Social Organization “Promin”, Social Organization “WOMEN Plus” and mass media.
Since 2017, the Laboratory’s staff has initiated and held more than 55 scientific-and-practical events at international, Ukrainian and regional levels. Scientific staff members have delivered their speeches at more than 70 scientific-and-practical events as experts as well as prepared and published in terms of their scientific research topics 3 monographs, 6 conjoint foreign monographs, 5 educational books, 1 scientific-and-publicity book, 115 scientific specialized articles, 6 methodic recommendations and 3 issues of scientific-and-practical journals. Moreover, they have published 129 abstracts of reports at scientific conferences, prepared 14 student scientific competition papers, 23 scientific articles and 96 student abstracts of reports.
Staff of the Laboratory has constant members in Coordination Council in Family and Gender Policy, Prevention of Domestic Violence and Combatting Human Trade at Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration and the team for resolving issues of gender based violence at Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration. The Laboratory staff members partake in “Family and Gender Policy Development Program in Dnipropetrovsk Region 2012-2021” as well as implementation of “Family and Gender Policy Development Strategy in Dnipropetrovsk Region”.
Agreement with The Council of Europe in terms of “Internal Displacement in Ukraine: Building Solutions” project for the provision of services on assessment of internal displacement persons’ access to voting rights on local elections and the IDPs’ related local programs. The project aims at strengthening the capacities of internally displaced persons, professionals, institutions and other key stakeholders to improve the human rights protection of IDPs in Ukraine. It also celebrates the fact that IDPs are enabled to vote in the local elections after a landmark adoption of a new regulation by the Central Electoral Commission, which allows for the practical implementation of the newly adopted Electoral Code. This is in line with Council of Europe recommendations and comes after consistent joint advocacy and efforts taken apart or in alliances with the numerous international and national partners. The IDPs had an opportunity to exercise their voting rights on recent local elections held on 25 October 2020. Apart from voting rights, the project advocates for IDPs participation in decision-making process through the tools of local democracy. The project fosters inclusion of IDPs related matters to the local programs of social-economic development or adoption of the target local programs on IDPs integration.
Research included two stages:
The first stage required to analyze national legislation concerning IDPs’ voting rights, mechanism of their implementation and its correspondence to the Council of Europe standards. Besides, the assessment of IDPs’ access to their voting rights under different parameters (legal and organizational provision of elections; IDPs activity at the local elections 2020; rate of awareness of IDPs regarding election process opportunities and their actual implementation; inclusiveness of elections and voting rights implementation for handicapped IDPs; COVID-19 pandemics impact on participation of IDPs in local elections; actual state of local elections in separate communities of Donetsk and Luhansk regions) was performed.
The second stage required to conduct a research as regards IDPs’ access to information on official web-pages of local state administrations and analyze local (regional) programs connected with IDPs and their implementation efficiency.
Result: At the end of December, the results of analytical research were positively assessed and accepted by the Main Office of the Council of Europe (Strasbourg). Afterwards the results of analytical research will be used to make up recommendations either for Ukraine, or for other states faced the problem with forced displacement.