88% of residents of the southern regions of Ukraine, in particular the Odesa region, chose freedom as the first among the most important values for human rights. Such data were obtained during the nationwide survey "What Ukrainians know and think about human rights."
As the organizers of the event told at a press conference at the PMA Odessa Hub, this study is conducted every two years, starting in 2016. Its main goal is to study and understand the perception of Ukrainians, their ideas and understanding of human rights. And also - review the dynamics of changes in results and what caused it.
According to the results of the study, for the second year in a row, freedom remains in the first place among the value priorities for residents not only of the southern regions, but also of the entire country - 84%. For example, in the Odesa region, it was chosen by almost 90% of respondents. "Justice" took second place with 73%, "security" was chosen by 64% of Ukrainians.
The study showed that, in contrast to other regions, besides freedom, justice, equality and security, material well-being is also a priority for Odessans (60% — and this is the highest indicator in Ukraine).
"This sets the southern regions apart from others. In other areas, the rating score of this value is lower. Although, it is worth noting that we had questions about which rights became worse in the region. Quite a large number of the southern region paid attention to the violation of their rights and what worsened the material block of rights. Therefore, perhaps this is a correlation of the fact that the material value and the demand for it are higher than in other regions," Svitlana Kolyshko, coordinator of the Human Rights for Ukraine project of the UN Development Program in Ukraine, explained.
The right to life consistently remains the most important right for Ukrainians in three consecutive polls. In the south of the country (including in the Odesa region), the right to life ranks first among priorities - it was noted by 92% of respondents, and this is the highest indicator among all regions. Next comes the right to work (68%), followed by the right to education (66%), housing (62%), and the right to freedom and personal integrity (58%).
Regarding the assessment of the problem of discrimination, residents of the southern regions noted that they most often face discrimination based on age (41%) and disability (40%). According to Andrii Sukharin, analyst of the Democratic Initiatives Foundation named after Ilko Kucheriv, if the problem of disability is clear - we know that it is more difficult for a person with a disability to find a job and defend their rights, then we often perceive the age issue as normality.
"We are practically not surprised by job advertisements where there is a requirement that we hire people under the age of 35." It is also difficult for a young specialist to get a job, but people over 35 still suffer. I'm already silent about retirement and old age," the analyst said.
The situation with COVID-19 forced Ukrainians to protect their rights more actively, said the head of the ZMINA Human Rights Center Tetyana Pechonchyk. If in 2016 42% of all surveyed respondents once defended their rights in everyday life, then at the end of 2020 there were already 60% of them. Those who managed to successfully defend their rights increased even more - 15% in 2016 and already 19% in 2020.
"If last year the police said that we have potentially 1 million Ukrainians who suffer from domestic violence, but the hotline receives about 140 calls a year, then this year the number of calls has increased significantly - more than 200 calls have already been received by the hotline ", said acting Oleksandr Baranov, director of the Coordination Center for Legal Aid.
At the same time, a thematic exposition was installed on the territory of the Odesa Railway Station: two-meter structures with the most important data of the study illustrated on them - graphs, quotes and conclusions.
Volunteers worked at the exhibition and told everyone about the survey and the activities of human rights organizations to which you can turn for free help in the city (Free Legal Aid Centers), analyzed the situation of each person individually. Most of the passers-by complained about the violation of rights in the state administration and medicine.
It should be noted that Odesa is the third city in the regional tour "Human Rights Day in Your City". Similar actions also take place in Kharkiv, Lviv, Dnipro and Mariupol. The goal of the project is to increase awareness of human rights and encourage citizens to more actively protect their rights, as well as to form the legal consciousness of Ukrainians.
