01-08-2012

Meeting “Conditions for children-refugees, asylum seekers in Ukraine and Transcarpathia. What does government propose, what can we do ourselves?” was held in Uzhgorod press-club.

The matter was about situation with migrants as well as children, who cross the border without documents. It was also reported about the place where detained people were directed, what legislation of Ukraine proposed in these cases and problems the like.

“There are not so many migrant-children, however in the context of international obligations implementation by Ukraine, this subject is very important, – it was said by the chief of  Refugee Department of Head Department of Migration Service of Ukraine in Transcarpathian region, Nikolay Tovt.

–  No matter how many children there are, law and mechanism foreseen by it must work in respect of one child. Problems of this category can be solved with the help of the public. It is a normal practice in countries with strong financial resources than in Ukraine. We state that non-governmental organizations have also actively joined this work”.

In accordance with the words of Tovt, 18 persons were granted subsidiary protection in July in Ukraine (not refugee status, namely “subsidiary protection” – it gives the same rights as refugee status does).

Nikolay Tovt also told that children of two categories arrive to Ukraine – those who got to Ukraine in the composition of families and those without accompaniment of adults.

The third part of submitted applications to Migration Service in Transcarpathia are children separated from families. These are often citizens of Somalia (one more is from Afghanistan and 1 from Vietnam). Overall, these are girls. Besides, there are 12 newborn babies since the opening of Temporary Holding Facility in Mukachevo.

Children-refugees and asylum seekers have opportunity to attend schools. On the other hand, difficulties arise with vocational training of the teenagers. Thus, it is difficult to employ child-refugee to vocational school, as educational establishment must have special licenses to educate foreigners.

According to the words of N.Tovt, appointment of legal representatives belongs to problematic issues concerning children-refugees. It is rather formal status as such a representative is somehow diverted from his client. “Legal representative is an official of Municipal Council or Regional State Administration, who does not see what problem a child has. We do not have corresponding children establishments yet, these children are even still unsettled to foster families.”

Head deputy of Department on Work with Refugees, Inquest and Administrative Proceedings of the Headquarters of Chop Border Detachment, Artem Oliynyk reported that in the course of 6 months of the current year 221 persons were detained for attempt to cross the state border of Ukraine (262 persons in 2011), 71 of them were citizens of Ukraine, 147 – foreigners. Often these are citizens of Somalia (42 persons), Moldova (26) as well as Georgia, Afghanistan, Russian Federation (Chechnya) and one representative from Bahamian Islands.

Concerning minors, border guards detained 26 persons from Somalia (2 of them were recognized as under-age after forensic medical examination) and 2 children from Afghanistan (accompanied by parents).

Source: http://ua-reporter.com/novosti/120180

31-07-2012

Two citizens of Georgia were apprehended at the railway station “Chop” in Transcarpathia. Being on duty, the border guards of Chop detachment were guarding persons, who may later try to cross illegally the border.
Border guards decided to check documents of two guys who were Georgians, got off the train arriving from Odessa.
Subsequently, during intercourse 24 and 27-year-old detainees confessed that they really intended to enter the European Union illegally. Now men are called to administrative responsibility.

Note that for the six months of this year, workers of State Border Service of Ukraine detained more than 1,000 people for illegal cross or attempt to cross illegally the state border of Ukraine and for violation of the rules on stay by the foreigners in Ukraine.

Source: http://ua-reporter.com/novosti/120118

31-07-2012

Appeal Court of Transcarpathian region left without changes the sentence of Velykyi Bereznyi Court concerning participants of organized criminal grouping, who in the end of 2008 smuggled almost 30 illegal migrants through the state border of Ukraine to Slovakian Republic.

It was established by pre-trial inquest that in 2008 – 30-year-old citizen of Afghanistan, Kyiv resident, decided to transport illegally his country fellows through the Ukrainian state border to EU. On this purpose, the Afghani had found the associates – inhabitants of Transcarpathian region.  Two persons agreed to be involved in the affair – 32-year-old resident of Perechyn condemned before for illegal transportation of persons through the state border and theft and inhabitant of village Zhornava, V.Bereznyi district having criminal past as well. The participants of the grouping attracted also other persons to unlawful activity. In particular, the resident of v. Zhornava was helped by his daughter, 18-year-old student of one of the universities of the region, as well as resident of Kremenchug and 20-year-old inhabitant of village Vyshka, V.Bereznyi district.  Duties of the gang members were strictly defined. Afghan man formed groups of illegal migrants and organized their transportation to Kyiv.

Other malefactors met the groups of illegal migrants in the suburb of the city of Kyiv and secretly delivered them upon before discussed route to Transcarpathia, to the places of temporary shelters in V.Bereznyi nearby Ukrainian-Slovakian, then illegal migrants were smuggled beyond the check points to Slovakia. Usually, about 5-6 illegal migrants were transported by the organized grouping at one time.

On November 15, 2008 in the suburb of the village Vyshka, police officers detained vehicle with 7 citizens of China and 3 Afghans with accompanied persons.

Transcarpathian SSU inspectors commenced a criminal case concerning the organizers of transportation of persons through the state border of Ukraine. V.Bereznyi District Court appointed punishment in the form of imprisonment for 4 years to the citizen of Afghanistan. Resident of Perechyn, before convicted for smuggling illegal migrants through the state border of Ukraine, was sentenced to 3 years and 1 month of imprisonment. The inhabitant of v. Zhornava was appointed punishment in the form of imprisonment for 3 years and 2 months. His daughter as well as the residents of Kremenchug and v. Vyshka were imprisoned for 3 years with probation period of 1 year.

Source: http://ua-reporter.com/novosti/120122

31-07-2012

Two citizens of Georgia were detained in the evening at the railways station “Chop” in Transcarpathian region. During the duty border guards of Chop Detachment watched over the persons, who planned to cross illegally the border. When two men, Georgians, descended  from the train arrived from Odessa, border guards decided to check their documents. Soon, in the course of a talk, 24 and 27-year-old detainees confessed that they really intended to get illegally to the countries of European Union. At the present moment, men are attracted to administrative responsibility.

Four more travellers were detained the day before at the railway station “Rava-Ruska” in Lviv region. They were citizens of Algeria of the age 20 and 25. However, the truthfulness of their words is established. Detainees did not have any documents. So, other conditions of their trip are also examined.

In the course of 6 months of the current year, the officers of State Border Service of Ukraine detained more than 1000 persons for illegal cross of the border or attempt to cross the border of Ukraine illegally and for the violation of the rules on stay at the territory of Ukraine by the foreigners. Majority of them are citizens from Moldova, Somalia, Georgia, Russia and Afghanistan.

Source: http://pvu.gov.ua/ua/about/news/news_261.htm

July 2012

Teenagers often do not now how to protect their rights. What should they do, where address for help? That is why trainings “Rights of a child” and “My rights and obligations” were conducted in the frames of joint project “Adaptation programme for children-refugees and asylum seekers residing at Temporary Holding Facility in Odessa” of Danish Refuge Council and Charity Fund “Sympathy”.

Considering complexity of material, colour posters with funny pictures with poems as to Articles of “Convention about rights of a child” were published. For younger children a play form was chosen in training conducting and an accent was made upon the rights and obligations of a child in the family and mode. Principle rights of children were included in the work with teenagers while learning the statements of “Convention about rights of a child” as well as Laws of Ukraine. Obligation and responsibility of under-age persons became the main issues of the trainings.

Minors remembered that in definite conditions they bare criminal, administrative and other responsibility. They learned to differentiate infringement and crimes.

Rights and obligations of teenagers defined by labour legislation were decided to be examined in details at the circuit training “Your future profession” at Odessa Municipal Job Centre due to which agreement was reached to be held it in August.

Source: http://migraciya.com.ua/article-778

July 2012

Research “Integration of refugees in Republic of Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine – Strategy of actions” showed that problem of housing, especially in big cities, causes great difficulties for citizens, however for refugees this problem is more acute and influences upon more sufficient percentage of this category. Housing needs considerable financial resources as rent payment is the biggest part of expenditures for singles as well as for families. There is no housing financed by government for the refugees as well as there is no access to subsidized housing (excluding Temporary Holding Facilities served for persons seeking asylum, where  some refugees who are the most vulnerable can live during definite period of time). In the frames of the first stage of “Project of local integration of refugees in Odessa region international grants were received for building or restoration of hosing.
Few of the refugees own housing and majority of them face difficulties while looking for suitable official place of residence (in particular, not many house owners want people to know that they rent out a flat in order to avid tax payment, and many refuse foreigners at all). Present situation with housing causes problems with local police (district police), who unreasonably make home visits or in extraordinary situations act in such a way that refugees regard this to be an attempt to “clean out” the district from refugees (or asylum seekers or from definite foreigners).

Many refugees live in conditions, which do not correspond to standards and they cannot afford to have something better. The rent payment taken from refugees often exceeds the sum citizens pay. As it was established, a spread practice for majority of refugees (and local residents) is absence of written rent agreements as the house owners, as a rule, do not want to declare their income. Considering high rent payment and cost of life, most part of the refugee families cannot have any economies. For housing, which is not big and in bad conditions, one can not economy much, but savings on food undermines refugees’ health. Living cooped, with other refugees, closeness to sick and alcoholics, absence of solitude, bad isolation and anti-sanitary conditions, insufficient meal ration – all these cause rather sad social problems. They are very hard to solve because refugees often work unofficially in order to cover the expenditures. Even if they get more or less satisfactory job, however, they hardly make both ends meet. Any unlucky chance or serious problem with health can mean the loss of income and debts for them.

It should be marked that responsibility for presenting housing to refugees lies upon Ukrainian government. It is said about also in the research “Integration of refugees in Republic of Belarus Moldova and Ukraine – Strategy of Actions”, in the frames of which some practical and strategic recommendations were elaborated concerning housing provision for refugees. These are the recommendations:

1.  National policy of integration must include statements about housing for newcomers as well as for existing vulnerable groups of refugees. Such statements must be directed upon the avoidance of social problems connected with over-population and accumulation of refugees, especially in the capital, as well as upon the broadening of refugees’ opportunities for integration into local society. Remembering about rights of the refugees, in particular the right for free movement, yet one can determine the places with accessible housing and sufficient job opportunities in order to direct there refugees with corresponding support and aid.

2. Inform newcomers about places, where accessible housing can be found; stimulate the interest in moving to these regions assisting in employment and education; allot subsidies on it; propose accessible housing to those who agrees to leave the capital.

3. More vulnerable category of refuges (who will always depend on the government – elderly, sick, etc..) should get housing, mainly in the capital reserving or building definite number of social housing or hostels specially on this purpose in coordination with donors and other organizations (UNDP, UNESCO, World Bank, EU).

4. Aiming at assignment of accessible housing to the most vulnerable or marginalized categories on the whole, an opportunity should be examined as to conduct of researches on housing and adopted decisions in this sphere (it is land allotment, subsidized credit schemes). Such a research could be became a base for new programmes of accessible housing for the refugees as well as for vulnerable or marginalized social groups and also attract support of international organizations and bilateral donors.

Information is presented by Regional

Representation of UNHCR in Belarus,

Moldova and Ukraine on the materials

 of the research “Integration of refugees

 in Republic of Belarus, Moldova

and Ukraine – Strategy of Actions”.

Source: http://migraciya.com.ua/article-728

27-07-2012

25-year-old citizen of Bangladesh temporarily living in Kharkov has organized illegal crossing of the border from Transcarpathia to Hungary for several times. Thus, on July 22 law enforcement agents established that in the area of BS “Velyka Bihan” the Bengal man intended to smuggle his three country fellows to EU countries through Ukrainian border.  Illegal migrants were detained and handed over to Mukachevo Border detachment. At the present moment, these migrants are at Temporary Holding Facility in Zhuravychi, Volyn.

Law enforcement agents are still looking for the organizer of illegal cross of the border.

Source: http://ua-reporter.com/novosti/119954

27-07-2012

Local residents noticed unfamiliar persons in the border area in the morning time and immediately informed the border guards. Aiming to check information and detain unfamiliar persons, operative group started to the place.  After a while, border guards stopped the trespassers.

Two men and one woman intended to cross the border illegally. All detainees introduced themselves as citizens of Georgia, however, only one man could confirm his citizenship and identification of his personality.

As it happens in the most cases of detention of illegal migrants, the goal of their trip was to get to desired European Union. But the troubles of detainees were not over. During the realization of verification activities one of the detainees addressed to the border guards with a proposal “to give” freedom to all detainees for monetary compensation in the sum of € 150.

The officer reported about this fact to the board. All circumstances are established now on the fact of monetary compensation offering to the official person of State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.

Since the beginning of the year, border guards of Chop Detachment apprehended about 200 illegal migrants, about 20 persons of them were the citizens of Georgia.

Source: http://ua-reporter.com/novosti/119957

25-07-2012

SBS officers detained  a traveller. A man was detected during the check of the cargo train at railway check point “Vadul Siret”. Hiding in one of the coaches with wood and trying to avoid passport control, trespasser intended to get to Romania. According to his words, he was the citizens of Kirghizia.

At the present moment, detainees is hold to be identified, then he will have to bear responsibility before Ukrainian legislation.

Source: http://pvu.gov.ua/ua/about/news/news_243.htm

24-07-2012

On June 20, Ukraine celebrated World Refugee Day. Actually, there were no celebrations as such as this delicate and not simple subject especially in conditions of Transcarpathia, where border guards block the road to the next “portion” of illegal migrants storming the border almost every week …

Temporary Holding Facility in Transcarpathia is presented by the corpuses – in Mukachevo and Perechyn. There are 56 persons hold there altogether, who claim to get refugee status, among them there are 29 children including 5 teenagers.

Recently, in the frames of joint project of Uzhgorod press-club and Danish Refugee Council “Ukraine is my second motherland” a holiday was organized for children residing in Mukachevo shelter with the performances of clowns, master-classes, soap bubbles show, and concert. Children, of course, were glad, but on the whole not all the residents of THF are ready to support the slogan of the project not concealing their wish to see EU countries as their second motherland (most often – Germany).

Each of local inhabitants has own tragic story though many of them are no inclined to believe them till the end (truthfulness of which, of course, is impossible to believe) can influence upon the resident of the shelter to get refugee status and be able whenever to find himself in EU or the USA.

For example, smiling 17-year-old boy Marufiy Said Murtaza told that his family was proposed to cross the border to Slovakia for $ 5000 for each person, for $10 000 smugglers can take illegal migrants to Germany. All family of Marufiy consists of 8 persons that is why it is rather expensive trip to get to cherished Europe! His family moved from Afghanistan to Pakistan and lived there not bad until his father was killed. His mother did not want to return from disquieted Pakistan to less calm Afghanistan, thus she chose a risky way: she took children, they arrived to Moscow, then to Odessa and after that they got to Mukachevo. These journeys have been lasting already for three years. During this time, Maruf learned not bad Russian. In general, living conditions in the centre are good. They say that sometimes they even can earn some money at part-time jobs.

Iranian star of Transcarpathian football

Deputy director of THF Petr Rosola explains: no documents for refugees are produced here, they are just hold here. The government allots 15 UAH per day for one person – it is enough for people to maintain themselves. There is no single dining room for everybody because refugees coming here arrive from different countries and they used to different food. Local residents can freely leave the centre, but they have to come back before 11 p.m..

Some of them find part-time jobs. The main obstacle is the absence of language knowledge. “We had negotiations with the board of Mukchevo factory “Flextronics” – Petr Rosola tells, – and were promised to employ new people, our clients can also get job there. It is very important for them. Probably, they stop to break the border if they will have jobs.

Some of the resident of the centre have really decided to stay in Ukraine. For example, a family from Syria has lived in Mukachevo since 2007. They cannot get document proving their status so far, but they lose their hopes. The youngest member of the family 16-year-old Falka is hardly distinguished from local residents. She attends school and speaks perfect Russian and Ukrainian, she has never heard any offensive words towards herself.

Iranian Murteze Validze also feels himself comfortably in Ukraine, who is called Denis in the shelter. The boy arrived to Kyiv for studies three years ago, however he decided to go further – to Germany. After unlucky cross of the border in Mukachevo, Iranian “Denis” showed outstanding results in football. Not long ago he was invited to football club “Meteor” of the village Pystryalova. Now he is a local “star”: infrequent match of the team is always accompanied by the goal of Murteza. The boy is so happy to have life as now that he even does not want to think about leaving Ukraine.

One more talent of the centre is deaf-and dumb spouses from Afghanistan. The husband and wife explained that their defect appeared in a result of contusion during the bombing. It is impossible to learn if it is true, however the woman from this family makes beautiful things from beads, leather, velvet.

Under-age persons have the hardest life in the centre of all, who fled their country without parents. Now, there 5 such persons in Mukachevo, namely from Somalia. Many “illegal” children were born already in Ukraine, particularly in 2007 in Mukachevo maternity house there were 13 babies and 1 pregnant woman lives here now.

Source: http://ua-reporter.com/novosti/119779