Chuhuiv Human Rights Group
Chuhuiv Human Rights Group (CHHRG) is a city/district non-government organization that was registered as an independent legal entity in April 2011, although it has been known as a human rights group in Chuhuiv, Kharkiv region, since 2006.
The purpose of the CHHRG is monitoring the observance of human rights provided in the international agreements and enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine. The organization was created to support those whose rights and fundamental freedoms were violated, regardless of citizenship, gender, nationality, religion, political and other beliefs and place of residence.
Today, the Chuhuiv Human Rights Group comprises about 30 members who are lawyers, volunteers, journalists, historians, psychologists, philologists, teachers and students. The organization opened its offices in Kharkiv, Chuhuiv, Balakleya, Izium, Kupiansk, and Pechenegs in Kharkiv region and in Bakhmut of Donetsk region.
The main activities of the organization are the following:
- support to those whose human rights have been violated, citizen investigations of human rights violations;
- public legal education, awareness raising of human rights through public events and publications;
- review of the situation with human rights compliance in Ukraine (primarily with the focus on civil rights and freedoms).
In 2011, the organization started to provide free legal aid to low-income citizens. Since May 2011, review of human rights violation complaints became a regular part of the work. Particularly, CHHRG has been petitioning local and national government agencies, cooperating with top-level barristers and lawyers. Members of the Chuhuiv Human Rights Group participate in trials as public defenders. Also, the organization's members serve as guest speakers and trainers in numerous workshops and events dedicated to human rights.
From 2011, the Chuhuiv Human Rights Group began monitoring the observance of fundamental human rights, such as freedom of speech and access to information violations, as well as other compliance with other civil rights and freedoms; conducting citizen investigations if these were found violated.
In addition, the members of the Chuhuiv Human Rights Group are profoundly experienced in the anti-corruption activities. Specifically, the organization appealed to the prosecutor's office to report abuse of power by the heads of municipal enterprises with regard to managing public funds they received from the central government. As a result, the prosecutor's office issued administrative tickets against the persons who violated the law and submitted cases to the court, where the perpetrators were brought to justice
