:. Civic Assistance Committee/ Bürgerhilfe/
Grashdanskoje Sodjestwuije/ Комитет
"Гражданское
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The Civic Assistance Committee was formed in
1990, when the first large wave of refugees reached
The Head of
the Committee is
The Committee
is the first public organisation in
On Terminology
According to
the UN Convention of 1951, a refugee is a person, who “owing to well-founded
fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership
of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of
his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail
himself of the protection of that country…”. The same definition is used in the
Russian Law “On Refugees.” The term “forced resettler” is defined in the
Russian Law “On Forced Resettlers.” This is an exclusively Russian phenomenon,
which defines the legal status of a Russian citizen who left his or her
permanent place of residence for the reasons similar to those of refugees. For
a refugee, the main problem is acquiring a legal status (such as a refugee
status or a temporary leave to remain), while a forced
resettler being a Russian citizen does not face this issue. Forced resettlers
face mainly resettlement problems, and those who have managed to acquire an
official status, are entitled to some state assistance by law. IDPs (for
example, those fleeing the Osset-Ingush conflict or military actions in
Chechnya) are in the worst position, as such term is absent from the Russian
law, and their status is defined only by the federal or local normative acts if
any were issued in respect of each individual conflict. Such acts can be
ignored or obeyed to according to bureaucratic wishes.
We will apply
the tern “refugees, forced resettlers and IPDs” to all people in this position,
irrespective of their official status.
The Civic
Assistance Committee has from the very beginning been helping forced migrants
in various ways, such as
·
establishing contacts with local
officials;
·
receiving medical care, pensions and
education;
·
defending their right to housing and
employment;
·
acquiring legal assistance;
·
defending their rights in court;
·
receiving
material and other kinds of humanitarian assistance.
In order to
reach its objectives, the Committee constantly keeps in touch with all
organisations dealing with refugees, such as: the Federal Migration Service and
the Passport and Visa Service within the Ministry of Internal Affairs, their
regional offices, structures responsible for health, education and social
security issues, the State Duma, Presidential Human Rights Commission, and the
public prosecutor’s offices. The Committee has many times successfully defended
the interests of groups of forced migrants in court, when their interests were
violated by the federal and regional laws or normative acts.
Experts from
among the Committee members take part in drafting laws and normative acts
related to the forced migrants’ rights.
The Civic
Assistance Committee has an accreditation with the Office of the UN High
Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR). The Committee keeps in touch with UNHCR, as
well as with the International Organisation on Migration (MOM), the Council of
Europe, the OSCE and other international organisations.
We cooperate
with other public organisations, mainly with the Memorial Human Rights Centre,
the Forum of Migrants’ Organisations, Caritas (an international charitable
network), and many others.
Our staff often takes part in international conferences,
seminars and press conferences on issues relating to the forced migrants issue
in
Migration situation
The collapse of
the USSR, the rise of ethnic and religious intolerance, numerous armed
conflicts in the former Soviet republics, including Russia itself, and in
particular, the military action in Chechnya – all of this has led to a large
number of forced migrants in Russia. As they do not get much state support, it
takes them a lot of time to integrate into the Russian society. According to
experts,
In 1992–1996
Russia, that had declared itself the legal heir to the
Some Figures
As of
01.01.2003 the number of forced resettlers halved as compared to 1996. It now
comprises 491,898 persons.
According to
the official data of 01.01.2003, the refugee status was granted to just 13,790
persons (compare to 290 thousand in 1996), of whom 11,534 are residents of
At present
only 411 persons who come from outside the
The situation
with granting temporal asylum looks a bit better. The state is not obliged to
help those who obtain the status; still the number of those who got it is
negligible – some 1200 people. Obviously, this number is just a drop in the
ocean of refugees now living in
The
compliance with the federal laws within the subjects of the
Since the
adoption of the new laws “On Citizenship” and “On the Legal Status of Foreign
Citizens” a new category of people has appeared in
Who comes to us and what kind of problems they have Who
wants to get a refuge in
First of all,
these are former Soviet citizens from the CIS and the
Refugees from
third countries comprise the second category. Mostly they are Afghans, of whom
about 150 thousand lived in the
Victims of
armed conflicts in the former Soviet republics, including
The following
problems face forced migrants in
Unfounded
refusal to grant a status of a refugee or a forced resettler, or temporary
asylum;
Unfounded
withdrawal of a status;
Refusal of
registration at the place of sojourn or residence;
Refusal to
accept and process applications for Russian citizenship and to grant
citizenship;
Problems in
receiving compensation for property and possessions lost in
Problems in
receiving housing for forced resettlers, or obtaining funds for housing
construction;
Problems in
receiving, replacing or restoring documents, such as passports or birth
certificates;
Lack of
employment prospects without registration at the place of sojourn or due to
ethnic prejudice;
Refusal to
provide free medical care;
Refusal to
pay pensions, child benefits, unemployment benefits and other social benefits;
Problems in
getting education, placing children in schools and kindergartens;
Abuse
of power by the militia who confiscate documents, detain migrants, fabricate
criminal cases or persecute migrants on ethnic grounds.
These forms of power abuse are often condoned or directly ordered by local
authorities.
Examples of Power Abuse
In September
1999, after the explosions on housing estates, the Mayor of Moscow issued two
instructions while the Moscow Government passed a decision that demanded all
migrants dwelling in the city to re-register; those who failed to do this were
to be deported. The same documents limited the registration procedure for
refugees and forced resettlers in
Committee’s Main Activities
The Committee
has three main fields of activity:
– A
multifunctional reception system
– Centre for
Adaptation and Education of Migrants’ Children and Forced Resettlers
–
Humanitarian aid in the areas of compact residence of forced migrants
Multifunctional
Reception System
The main
activity of the Committee is to receive forced migrants, whereby it provides
the following types of assistance: social, organisational, legal, humanitarian,
medical and psychological.
Social
workers, doctors and lawyers work in the reception system.
Newcomers are
first received by a social worker who will register the applicant and his or
her family. This data is accessible only to the reception workers, and no
information on the applicant, however trivial, is available to outsiders. The
applicant will provide the reception with his or her name, date of birth, place
of origin, family composition, professional qualifications, housing and
employment provisions and the circumstances, which led to migration. The
registration procedure was developed by O. Popova and supported by Lev
Tasuev – employees of the Memorial Human Rights Centre.
A social
worker will explore the main problems faced by the applicant, explain his or
her rights and responsibilities and the prospects of getting some state
support. In case of need the social worker will contact the migration
authorities, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, social security structures,
medical and educational institutions. Applications will be written on behalf of
the Committee or, in more complicated cases, on behalf of State Duma deputes. A
decision about financial help is made collectively, such help being extended to
those who urgently need it. Many of our applicants have to start a new life
from scratch, to find housing, employment and a school for their children. Some
do not have adequate winter clothes, warm shoes, or funds to buy school
stationery. Some need help to get to a place where there is an offer of housing
and employment. The Committee provides financial support in order to help
newcomers in critical situations.
Unfortunately,
the Committee does not have enough funding to provide regular financial support
to migrants, so we do not and cannot have regulations on financial assistance.
Usually, we give a one off grant to those who just left their place of
residence, or in exceptional circumstances: either sad, such as a serious
illness, or happy, such as birth of a baby. Also, we will supply an applicant
with a letter addressed to the militia and other authorities, which explains
the circumstances of the individual and why he or she does not have a
registration, a legal status, or has not managed to replace lost documents. We
do our best to check information with which we supply the militia and other
structures through experts, witnesses or through our own monitoring of the
situation. Although our letters to do not carry formal authority, they do help
our applicants in their dealings with the militia. Many professional militiamen
take our letters very seriously. Also, the letter indicates that we will
support our applicant in case of illegal actions against him or her.
Having seen a
social worker, the applicant, if they wish, can see a doctor or a lawyer. If
needed, the committee staff will refer the applicant for a consultation to
Chairwoman
Reception
days – three times a week
Monday and
Wednesday – general reception and medical appointments – 10 a.m. to 8 p.m
Legal assistance
– 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., appointments with psycho-neurologist – 5 p.m. to 8 p.m
Friday –
general reception, medical and legal appointments – 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Reception is
staffed by three social workers, two doctors (a GP and a psycho-neurologist) and
a member of staff who writes letters of assistance. Yet another social worker
distributes clothes and shoes, and one more member of staff makes sure the
applicants come one by one. An administrative worker helps our bookkeepers
during reception periods. Our courier also helps out on reception; he collects
orders and distributes spectacles, which we obtain at discount prices.
Outside
reception times, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. our
staff take turns in the office, answering the phones and receiving refugees who
need urgent assistance. Other Committee members process the last reception
data. They write letters and requests to officials, analyse their answers,
reply to letters, hold meetings and negotiations. One
of the social workers negotiates with
At night and
during weekends we always have members of staff on duty in the office. They
watch out for fire, electric or technical problems, as well as help get in
touch with Committee members in urgent cases. They also help out with other
work, if needed, for example, they might go to a railway station to meet
seriously ill people who arrive for treatment.
Social Reception Group
Humanitarian
Aid
The
Committee’s social work is not limited by the initial reception procedure. Many
migrants come again and again, and some become regular visitors. Sometimes we
provide financial help two or three times a year, and very occasionally, on a
regular basis. This is done if family members cannot support themselves to any
degree due to their circumstances or health problems. Sometimes financial
assistance is provided in order to purchase expensive medication, or to buy a
ticket to a place of possible settlement. The Committee staff
discusses all the circumstances of the applicant before making a decision on
whether to grant financial assistance and on its amount.
Donations
which are sent to the Committee without a specified purpose are distributed to
migrants as financial assistance, or used to purchase the necessary foodstuffs
and other goods, at the lowest possible prices, taking into account migrants’
needs based on their most common requests. However, if a donor specifies the
purpose of the donation, the Committee will always fulfil this request.
We do not only
buy clothes and shoes, we also collect them among city residents, often with
the help of our friends who organise collection days at their places of work.
Not By Bread
Alone
When the
first waves of migrants came to
However, none
of this was available to refugees, who could barely make their ends meet.
In 2001 the
Committee started an active distribution of free theatre tickets among
refugees. For this purpose, Natalia Alexandrova, a social worker, has
established regular contacts with many of the
Reception
Group Staff:
Social worker
in charge of reception – Yelena Burtina
Social
workers – Lyudmila Gendel and Yelena Ryabinina
Administrator
– Irina Shestakova
Letter writer
– Khava Torshkhoeva
Theatre
tickets and other outings – Natalia Alexandrova
Clothes
distribution – Nina Yahyaeva
Spectacles
provision – Yulia Sachenko
Medical Group
Two doctors
and a psychologist provide medical and psychological assistance to the
refugees: Tatiana Arkhangelskaya – a GP, Denis Burminsky – a psycho-neurologist
and Anna Vershok – a psychologist.
Our doctors
see migrants who need medical help and if needed refer them to health centres
and hospitals in
In 1995 the
Semashko private health centre No. 5 offered to provide the Committee with free
vouchers for consultants’ appointments. These are still offered on a monthly
basis. In 1997, Moscow City Health Committee supported by the RF Health
Ministry allowed us to use city health centre No. 46, while children and
pregnant women can be referred to the Filatov and Spaso Perov hospitals.
However, in 2002 health centre No. 46 refused to see patients without notifications
about their asylum applications being processed. Despite this decision our
doctors and social workers can usually arrange appointments and treatment for
migrants in medical institutions managed by the city authorities as well as by
the federal government.
We would like
to thank the Health Ministry and the Moscow City Administration Health
Department who always help us find hospital beds and to arrange free treatment
for migrants.
Some basic
medicines most often needed by migrants are usually available at the Committee.
Our doctors provide these free of charge. However, we are always short of funds
to purchase medication for migrants and to pay for private consultations, as
donors do not often fund these expenses.
In addition,
we provide applicants with free spectacles. These are made according to
prescriptions submitted by the applicants themselves.
The Legal Group
The Legal
Group is staffed by experienced lawyers and solicitors who are members of the
Migration Right Network of the Memorial Human Rights Centre. It provides free
legal aid to refugees and is managed by
The Legal
Group Staff:
Maya Orlova –
head of the group
Margarita
Petrossian – group consultant
Consultants:
Tatiana Dolbneva, Valentina Golovach, Natalia Dorina (also group secretary),
Dionis Lomakin, Olga Slepchenko, Yevgeni Bobrov.
Students work
alongside these professional lawyers on a voluntary basis.
The lawyers
see migrants, sometimes represent them in court, analyse normative acts and
laws and help compile legal guides to migration issues. They assist in drafting
legal documentation and in correspondence with officials. Outside their
appointment times they analyse documents compiled by migrants and draft
complaints, lawsuits and petitions to courts, prosecutor’s office and other
offices. Apart from that, our lawyers in court can dispute those normative and
legal acts that contradict the Constitution and the laws of the
For example,
the Russian Government order No 510 of 30 April 1997 on compensation for those
who had irreversibly left
The Committee
lawyers provide migrants with free brochures regarding their rights. These are
publications such as Forced Resettler has the Following Rights… by M.
Petrossian, 2002, P Valent Publishers; Checking your documents… by
B.Dulnev, 2002, P.Valent Publishers. Apart from these, materials of the
seminars organised by the Migration Right Network are also available for free
distribution.
In addition
to working with migrants, the Committee lawyers also consult NGOs involved in
forced migration issues.
Centre for
Adaptation and Education for Migrants’ Children (CAE)
The Centre
was created as part of the Committee in 1995. Its main aim is to help children
adapt to their new conditions through education and communication. Children
need to get back their communicative and learning skills. Often they are in
need of psychological help in order to deal with the stress they have been
through. Originally, there were two reasons for establishing the Centre. First,
many children and teenagers who have experienced a shock need to learn to adapt
socially and psychologically and require teacher support before they can go
back to learning. Second, between 1996 and 2001
The current
Head of the Centre is Yekaterina Kokorina. Yekaterina Vershok, the former Head
of the Centre and a psychologist by training, works with those children who
need psychological rehabilitation, and with their parents. Also, she carefully
selects teachers who are able to work with the children who have been through a
traumatic experience. Where necessary, she will allocate teachers for
individual tuition.
The Centre
provides tuition for more than forty pupils. Unfortunately, we cannot accept
all applicants due to lack of space, and as it is, some of the classes have to
be run in the corridor. Since 1999 we have been running a waiting list for
tuition. The Centre has up to forty teachers who work with the children, all of
them on a voluntary basis. There are undergraduate and postgraduate students
among them, as well as university lecturers. Some of our teachers are foreign
students on work experience or young men doing alternative military service.
The classes
run at the Committee premises three times a week from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. There
are four lessons, and each pupil gets tuition in the main subjects, which are
maths, Russian and English. We also run lessons in chemistry, physics, Russian
literature and other subjects.
The Centre
has a TV set, in this way the pupils can watch educational programmes, and a
library, which contains fiction, textbooks, books on education, and a
collection of games. All pupils are provided with textbooks and stationery. Our
donors, including some of the Committee members, fund the pupils’ travel
expenses. Tea, sandwiches and sweets are served at tea breaks. Teachers
organise walks, tours, theatre visits and trips to the countryside. In 2001 and
2002 large groups of children were able to go to the
Humanitarian Aid in Areas of Forced Migrants’ Compact Residence
The Committee
does its best to support forced migrants not only in
The Committee
offers regular help to Serebrianiki, a temporary residential centre for forced
resettlers in the Tver Region. The centre houses around 200 people, mostly
refugees from
Hotline
The Committee
will follow up all known cases of registration and re-registration problems,
confiscation of documents, detentions, fabrication of criminal cases, etc. Its
staff will write letters and make phone calls to various officials, and in most
cases these help to solve the issue.
The
Committee, along with the Memorial Human Rights Centre and the Human Rights
Movement Hotline, became one of the few ports of call for the Chechens and
other North Caucasians in the autumn of 1999 and in 2002 (after the hostage
taking in a Moscow theatre), when they complained of persecution on the basis
of their ethnic origin, mainly by the law enforcement officials. The situation
seemed to be condoned by the authorities, and sometimes evolved into an
organised large-scale campaign.
The Committee
registered all instances of ethnic persecution, carefully monitored
discrimination and tried to publicise it by all means, such as press
conferences, press publications and mailing campaigns via the Internet. At
these hard times, the Committee became one of the main sources of information
for the Russian and the foreign media who were interested in complete and
reliable information on migrants’ situation and the anti-Chechen campaign by
Normative
acts issued by the
Committee’s Funds and Sponsors
Until 1996
the Committee did not have premises and was run on a voluntary basis. Reception
took place once a week on the wide landings in the building of one of the
From 1998,
UNHCR has been providing institutional support, i.e., paying our rent, service
charges, telephone bills and office expenses, and providing office equipment.
Apart from that, we can now employ paid staff, which
has helped improve our professional level, although we still appreciate
voluntary work. For several years UNHCR also provided funds for purchase and
distribution of medicines among internally displaced persons. Back in 2000,
however, the budget for these purposes was cut down. At the moment there is no
provision for these expenses in the UNHCR funding. The Committee therefore had
to intensify its fundraising activities, particularly with the renewal of the
war in
We are very
grateful to all organisations, which at the time provided us with funds to help
residents of
Later, some
of these organisations sent us more donations for direct assistance to
migrants.
We would also
like to mention donations from the Society of Friends (Quakers), which played
an important role in our charity work during the first war in
We are also
pleased to mention help from several Russian organisations. In 1997 the
Committee’s medical and related expenses were covered by the Moscow Mayor’s
office. In 2000, for the first time in the Committee’s ten years history, it
received a donation from a Russian organisation – it was the Public Opinion
Fund. The Department of Social Security of Moscow government provides several
beds in night hostels and social hotels for those of the newly arrived migrants
who have nowhere to live in
We hope that
these individual and company donations from the West as well as from
In 1997, 1999
and 2001 we received grants from the Open Society Foundation (Soros Foundation)
in order to create a multimedia archive of interviews with victims of military
conflicts in
In the last
two years a charity organisation called
The Committee’s Needs
Due to
constant expansion, the Committee needs to employ new paid and voluntary staff,
as the number of people wishing to use our services is always growing. We need
spacious reception premises with a provision for the Centre for Adaptation and
Education. We also need funds to provide financial assistance to forced
migrants, particularly the disabled, the old and families with many children –
i.e, those who cannot support themselves.
We need funds
to purchase medicines, clothes and shoes. We accept second-hand clothes and
shoes as donations from
The Committee
is grateful for any assistance and will guarantee that every donation will be
used according to the purpose specified by the donors.
Some figures
In January
2000-September 2003 the Committee arranged 40 thousand consultations, of which
10,500 were legal, and over 12,000, medical. Over 6,000 petitions were sent on
behalf of forced migrants. About a quarter of them were upheld, and a further
18 per cent of the answers contain useful information.
In the same
period we received over $490 thousand from different sources in order to help
migrants. From this amount, we distributed 11, 800 allowances, over 10,000
clothing items, over 13,500 pairs of shoes, about a 1,000 bedding sets and over
600 blankets, over 1600 school stationery sets and 1500 school bags. Also, food
hampers and over 1800 packs of baby food and food for pregnant women and
feeding mothers were purchased and distributed. Over 11,000 people received
medication.
In the nine
months of 2003 over 4507 people were referred for medical treatment.
Our latest
humanitarian aid project in the
Our Contact
Details:
127006 Moscow
Dolgorukovskaya Str, 33, building 6
tels.:
973 54 74 (reception)
973 54 43
(legal department)
251 53 19
(fax)
Stand
08-2004.