Estonian support helps Ukraine open first comprehensive human rights center

On Tuesday, January 14, Ukraine's first comprehensive human rights center was opened in the city of Zhytomyr by Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) and Ukrainian Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets. Estonia provided support by funding building renovations as well as training the center's staff.
Not only will the center receive and document complaints of human rights violations, it will also address some of the most pressing issues, including those related to the return of children abducted by Russia during the war and prisoner of war exchanges
The Human Rights Center expanded its operations as a result of cooperation between the Secretariat of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights and the Estonian Center for International Development (ESDTEV).
"I am extremely pleased that the city of Zhytomyr now has a Human Rights Center. It will play a central role in documenting human rights violations, assisting people who have suffered from Russia's brutal military actions and returning children deported during the war," said Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200).
"The opening of the Human Rights Centre is a strong message of unity from Estonia and Ukraine to Russia that we will continue the search for the deported children and that Russia will not escape responsibility," he added.
Ukrainian Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets said that Estonian support has been integral to the creation of this comprehensive human rights center, which is the first of its kind in Ukraine.
"This is the result of direct cooperation with the Estonian government. It is also a positive example for other countries, how one country, Estonia, has chosen a specific region, the Zhytomyr Region, to help with restoration," Lubinets said.
Lubinets confirmed that the number of complaints about human rights violations has increased rapidly over the past year. Those seeking help are primarily internally displaced people (IDPs) and the relatives of prisoners of war and missing persons. The Zhytomyr Region has played a special role in protecting human rights in Ukraine in the past; after the Chornobyl disaster, many IDPs fled to Zhytomyr and were in need of support.

Lubinets expressed gratitude to Estonia for renovating the center's premises and sponsoring the staff training program, which was designed to help address sensitive issues raised by the war.
The center was renovated (300 m2) to provide citizens with a safe, neutral and private environment to prevent victim (re)traumatization and reduce anxiety. The center also operates as a children's home (or "Barnahus+") for youth who have been sexually abused or are suspected of having been sexually abused.
The training program that took place as part of the ESTDEV project entailed four study visits to Estonia, in which Estonian experts and mentors trained 75 staff members of the Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner's team from across Ukraine.
Estonia contributed a total of €400,000 to establish the Zhytomyr Human Rights Centre and help train staff members.
Klen Jäärats, ESDTEV's executive director, said that protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms is always important, but the need for legal protection has increased during the war.
"The Human Rights Centre in Zhytomyr will allow us to bring important services closer to the region's people during the war. I hope it will also become a center of expertise, where the lessons learned during study visits to Estonia will be applied and, eventually, where employees from human rights centers in other regions can exchange experiences," said Jäärats.
The establishment of the Zhytomyr Human Rights Centre supports the Secretariat of the Commissioner for Human Rights of Ukraine's goal of strengthening regional offices and transforming them from places of complaint registration into comprehensive, modern human rights centers.
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Editor: Michael Cole