Oleh Chebanenko, representative and Head of the NGO "Social Unity", took part in the meeting of the Human Rights Expert Council on Social and Economic Rights.
Dmytro Lubinets, as the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, informed the experts about the main achievements of the Ombudsman's Office over the past year. He also spoke about the new challenges Ukraine faces as a result of Russian aggression. In particular, the number of socially vulnerable people in need of support has increased due to new threats. Therefore, the Ombudsman proposed to amend the National Human Rights Strategy to ensure the right of access to cultural heritage.
The meeting drew attention to the number of appeals from citizens that the Ombudsman received – 42,485 requests. Almost 33% of the appeals concerned the observance of social and economic rights, which are always of concern to citizens. A number of problems concern access to medical services, social protection, consumer protection and protection of the rights of people with disabilities.
Oleh Chebanenko, as a member of the expert council, outlined the problem faced by citizens with hearing impairments after the introduction of martial law in Ukraine, namely, the deprivation of sign language to healthcare facilities. The Ombudsman's representative Olena Kolobrodova replied that the issue of returning sign language to medical institutions would be investigated by the Ombudsman's Office staff.
Dmytro Lubinets assured the members of the Expert Council that the Ombudsman's Office will make every effort to protect human rights in Ukraine. He also called on the experts to continue to cooperate with the Office to make Ukraine a more rule-of-law state.
