Protection Cluster Fact Sheet - October 2016

PROTECTION CONCERNS

• Security situation: The level of hostilities increased significantly over the past month. OHCHR recorded 66 cases of civilian casualties in eastern Ukraine – three times more than in September 2016. Three people were killed and five (including children) injured in Makiivka, Donetsk non government-controlled areas (NGCA) as a result of heavy shelling on October 27.

• Freedom of Movement: Zaitseve checkpoint was relocated to Mayorsk, bringing it only a few hundred meters from the contact line. This further endangers the lives of civilians crossing the checkpoint as shelling and shooting take place regularly in this area. On October 20, there was sniper shooting near the checkpoint, which was also targeted by small arms fire and automatic grenade launchers. On October 27, the checkpoint was closed due to shelling. Setting up facilities and maintenance of latrines and other amenities is impossible in the new location.

• Access to basic services: Water and electricity supply to hundreds of people in the Mariupol area was temporarily interrupted due to damages from shelling. The water supply for up to one million people in non-government controlled areas of Luhansk was cut or severely curtailed for one week after the privately-owned electricity company in GCA cut supply due to unpaid debts from the NGCA side.

• Forced evictions of IDPs with disabilities: about 300 IDPs with disabilities who were living in a sanatorium in Odessa, were forcibly evicted, with utilities such as heating and electricity being cut off. Some relocated to the Sviati Gori collective centre in Sviatohirsk, while others returned to non-government controlled areas of Ukraine. Similar threats of eviction have been reported by IDPs living in collective centers in Central and Western Ukraine, such as Sentatia, Kustanayska, Zhytomir, Soty and Dherelo. Currently 527 IDPs are facing imminent eviction throughout Ukraine.

• Social benefits and pensions: A parliamentary hearing on the verification of social benefits (including pensions) took place on October 19. The Ministry of Finance plans to continue this verification in 2017 for some 21 million beneficiaries of social payments. The Ombudsperson has stated that this verification is against Ukrainian law.

• IDP Registration: 73% of IDPs residing in Schastie and Stanichno-Luhanskiy rayon are not registered as IDPs according to a HelpAge survey conducted in Luhansk oblast GCA and along the contact line, suggesting that access to IDP registration in these areas is significantly hindered.

• Child Protection: The State Migration Service in Luhansk and northern Donetsk oblasts is not issuing passports to children over 14 years, because existing regulations have not been harmonized with recent legal amendments. In addition, they do not have the necessary equipment for the issuance of passports.

• Gender-Based Violence: According to UNFPA/UFPH, the number of GBV cases reported by IDP GBV survivors is low (only 37% out of 2,658 IDP GBV survivors), out of which the majority are women (88%).