Which model of providing legal aid to residents of Mykolaiv region can be the most effective? Where can people go to get expert (and most importantly – free) legal advice?
Representatives of NGOs, three local Centers for FSLA Provision, department of justice in Mykolayiv region, members of “Partnership for quality legal aid” discussed these questions at a press conference held at CMC.MYKOLAYIV.
The issues of social security, land and property, utility services provision have been a priority for most territorial communities in Mykolaiv region, including Mykolaiv and Voznesensk, for the last two years. This is particularly true for vulnerable social groups. An effective legal aid system can help solve these issues.
“It has to combine the provision of primary aid (by local governments), secondary aid (Centers for FSLA) and initiatives of local public organizations. So, local community members can protect their interests, their right to quality municipal and administrative services in a legal way,” says Mykhailo Zolotukhin, Director of Mykolaiv City Development Foundation.
The one-year project of the partnership “Building an effective model of legal aid in Mykolaiv and Voznesensk” was aimed to create this effective model.
“For this, the Foundation signed agreements with the First and Second local centers for free secondary legal aid provision in 2015. We also established cooperation with the Main Territorial Department of Justice in Mykolaiv region, Mykolaiv Development Office, Mykolaiv City Executive Committee, Voznesensk City Council, NGO “Voznesensk Association of Local Democracy Development” and conducted a joint analytical study ,” said coordinator of the partnership M. Zolotukhin. “We saw that, on the one hand, some representatives of local governments do not understand the importance of spending money on local primary aid provision. On the other, local officials and deputies lack relevant knowledge and skills to introduce a local model of primary legal aid.”
Inna Firsova, Deputy Chief of the Main Territorial Department of Justice in Mykolaiv region, reminded that offices for free primary legal aid provision were formed in the summer of 2016. According to her, 94 public reception offices were open at the district departments where people can get legal advice.
Over 3,000 people used the services of the First Mykolaiv local center for FSLA provision last year. Another 900 received primary consultations at the office, reported Viktoria Tsariova, Head of the Department for Legal Awareness and Interaction with the Entities for Providing Free Primary Legal Aid. About 5,000 people addressed the Second Mykolaiv local center for FSLA provision last year. However, according to Acting Director Natalia Hnatush, the functions currently assigned to the centers and legal aid offices are not enough for the community of Mykolaiv and Voznesensk. “Although since 2011 local governments have been able to create their own system of primary legal aid, they used it only formally,” stressed Mykhailo Zolotukhin.
In Voznesensk people can get free legal aid at a local center for FSLA provision and at NGO “Agency for Voznesensk Economic Development”. Since 2013, it has been the basis for a public reception office, where lawyers advise citizens on land and housing and utility issues.
“Even before the FSLA centers started to provide primary legal aid we asked Voznesensk mayor Vitalii Lukov to support an initiative in establishing a public institution that would take on this function. He refused, saying that it need not be established. However, he promised to create a working group that would study this issue more thoroughly, – informed Tetiana Zelinska, head of the NGO “Voznesensk Local Democracy Development Association.” The mayor did not keep his promise. That is why the public enlisted the support of deputies. So, a working group was created by the decision of the relevant commission. Its members concluded that the optimal model of legal aid provision in Voznesensk is a public institution.”
Meanwhile, primary legal aid is provided by bureaus at the FSLA centers. But next year they will most likely be deprived of this function. Where then should citizens turn to with their problems? Although the free legal aid system is intended to educate citizens on how they should defend their interests, first they should be taught to do this, said Dariia Ovchynnikova, head of department of the Second Mykolaiv local center for FSLA provision.
As a result, the briefing participants decided to send methodological recommendations to Mykolaiv and Voznesensk city councils to help the local authorities to improve the provision of primary legal aid, especially as there is a successful example of this practice in other regions.
Activities of partnership “For quality free legal aid” are conducted under the project “Building an effective model of legal aid in Mykolaiv and Voznesensk” implemented by the NGO “Mykolaiv City Development Foundation” with the support of the Program initiative “Human rights and justice” of the IF “Renaissance” and the Canadian Bureau for international education of the Government of Canada.
