Protecting Human Rights Through Improved Access to Legal Aid

The project aims to increase the access by victims of human rights violations to legal aid in Ukraine. The project seeks to expand and strengthen the network of non-governmental legal aid centers; increase the number and effectiveness of litigation of human rights cases; and conduct advocacy and public awareness campaigns on key human rights issues. The project aims to expand the number of legal aid centres from 12 to 17 in order to provide services to all regions of Ukraine. The project provides support to improve the provision of legal aid to victims of human rights violations with a focus on vulnerable persons. Some activities include: providing litigation and advocacy services providing gender-sensitive legal assistance; establishing a case-management system to facilitate the exchange of information; strengthen the capacity of legal aid centres; and provide specialized training for lawyers providing legal assistance. The Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union (UHHRU) a coalition of 29 Ukrainian non-governmental organizations provides legal aid to victims of human rights violations conducts strategic litigation in human rights cases and produces a comprehensive annual report on the situation of human rights in Ukraine.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) expanded network of legal aid offices providing high-quality legal assistance to victims of human rights violations including women throughout Ukraine; (2) strengthened capacity to litigate human rights cases; and (3) improved human rights situation through the provision of policy recommendations.