Ombudsperson received more than 41,000 human rights complaints this year

13.09.2021 14:06

Ukrinform

In January-August 2021, Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova received 41,566 complaints about human rights violations, which is 34% more than in the same period last year, according to the Office of the Ombudsperson.

In particular, of all the complaints, 37,720 were about violations of citizens' rights, which is 20% more than in the same period last year. One third of these complaints related to the violation of citizens' information rights: to appeal to public authorities, to receive public information.

“Of the nearly 4,000 complaints about violations of economic rights, a third related to the right to receive quality financial services. Out of 2,500 complaints about violations of the right to respect for dignity and non-interference in privacy, more than 2,000 related to the illegal processing of personal data. Almost all of them - 85% - related to the violation of rights by collection companies and financial institutions, which through threats and blackmail, dissemination of false information about individuals and their personal data required payment of debt on credit or loan, both from their customers and their guarantors,” reads the report

At the same time, among the positive changes, the Office of the Ombudsperson informed that the number of complaints about violations received from people with disabilities decreased by 40% in January-August 2021. That was due to “the introduction of the National Strategy for Barrier-Free Environment in Ukraine until 2030 and coordinated measures of state authorities and local government bodies, which were related to its implementation.”