SSU together with Ministry of Social Policy raided on IDPs

The organizations providing aid and support to internally displaced persons began to receive disturbing messages at the second half of Friday, February 19. The information from different regions of Ukraine, that regional Departments of Social Protection Ministry of Social Policy of the population had spreaded on February 19 the letter without sign #672/0/10-16/081 from 02.16.2016 “”About strengthening the control under the payments”, began to come.

At once the lists of IDPs were directed into district Departments of Labor and Social Protection of Population. What does it mean and what will it brings  – the special correspondent of informator.lg.ua has precised.

“In fact, according to documents, which were accepted by Cabinet of Ministers, all payments are chained around the IDP certificate, – told about features of IDP registration, human right activist of Vostok SOS Alexandra Dvoretska, – it comes on practise, that if woman receives money for child by IDP certificate, she won’t get them after the stop of certificate. If it’s a retire respectively doesn’t get pension. Of course, all in lists can’t get IDP payments”. According to the information of our interlocutor, an exception happens from the internally displaced persons lists, but not the recipients of social benefit.

1

“One thing is when there are IDP’s payments – they are objective. And, maybe, it’s not right when people went out, formed them and came back. But pensioners is another case. They earned their pension, went out and re-formed it only because state didn’t give any other mechanism. To get their legal pension and the only income people ought to lie, that they are migrants, forming the certificates. It’s because there is no other way to form the pension”.

How, and on what basis the Ministry of Social Policy has deprived certificates 150 thousand of people at the end of last year? According to the preliminary data it’s about 200 thousand of people. For example, 12 thousands of people were deregistered as IDPs in one of the districts of Kharkiv region, in other – 24 thousands. 19 thousands are in the same situation in Zaporozhye.

Human rights activists draw the conclusion that it’s not the only incidents and the huge lists of such people exist. Deadline of sent order is March 4,

“I.e these people will be expelled till that time according to the letter of the Ministry of Social Policy, – accented Alexandra Dvoretskaya, – SSU side says that if employments of regional Departments of Social Protection Ministry of Social Policy of the population don’t use these lists, the criminal cases of financing of terrorism will be opened on them.

2

The Minister of the Social Policy Pavel Rozenko called hysteria the discontentment of the public activists on his Facebook page: “Together with SSU during three last months, we actively work under the liquidation of the fraudulent schemes, built around IDP’s payments. I publicly claimed about it a week ago in my interview to “Dzerkalo tyzhnya” (Mirror of the Week).

I would remind that according to the active legislation, the right to get social benefits has only people who removed and officially live on the territory, controlled by Ukrainian authorities”, wrote Rozenko.

The minister speaks about situation, that on the base of SSU data the employments of his Department will further stop payments to some citizens. Therefore he insists:

“This is not about cancellation of payment, it’s about pausing of it. If information come from migration service or person apply to Social Protection that SSU mistook, we will resume all payments back”.

Official stressed that the goal of begun company is not a struggle with IDPs, but the identify fraudsters profit from people’s misfortune. Also, he turned his attention to his subordinates, who issue certificates for bribe and contribute to the plundering of budgetary funds.

“When we started this work with SSU I clearly understood, that I will be poured mud, – wrote on his Facebook page Pavel Rozenko, – But’ I’m repeating once again, this sphere already has billiards of state funds. The fact, that ‘wave of shit throwing’ has begun, only confirms that we move in right direction”, summed up the official.

Alexandra Dvoretska read the statement of the Minister in this way:

“The procedure of pausing of the certificate wasn’t written in a bill. I.e list or has person in it or not. If you don’t have certificate, you need to come and to form it once again, gave the same documents as on receiving it. Minister is saying that it’s only pause, but I badly imagine, what is it”.

The opinion said Elena Vinogradova, the legal analyst Ukrainian Charitable Foundation “Right to Protect”:

“Such suspensions didn’t provide by anything, neither law, nor decree. Today, the Ministry invented this way, tomorrow it will offer one more procedure, to check something and will say that it’s legal. SSU employments don’t poll IDPs about their place of registration, – explained Elena Vinogradova, – it’s not clear how SSU processed this information, checked the motion of persons. Why these checkings gave an opportunity to SSU to make conclusions, that people don’t live in some areas?”.

The analyst stresses that as usual unprotected group of population, like pensioners, disabled, mothers with children are pretending on state payments. Now they will be forced to go into the regional Departments of Social Protection Ministry of Social Policy of the population and prove that they live in the place of their registration, go nowhere, again resume their social payments.

“It’s except facts that they don’t have easy and wonderful life, – tells Elena Vinogradova, – people came through the internally displacing. And here is the state, reminding every time, that they still must live in this nightmare”.

Human rights activist also expressed her dissatisfaction with the conclusion of Minister that SSU hit the nail and opened some criminal scheme, if it caused such a lively response:

“Our organization has been working with IDPs for a long time as Vostok SOS, Crimea SOS and lot of other organizations, – explained  Elena, – it’s wildly and terribly unpleasant to hear such commentaries from the side of the ministry. But it’s not the index that ministry verses in the subject of IDPs and understands their interests and special needs”.

She explained that demands to the Ministry of the Social Policy is clear enough. Volunteers ask officials to identify clearly the rules of checkings, i.e in what cases and in what conditions these procedures are unavoidable.

One more demand of public activists: start of unified information base of IDPs. According to the words of activists, such data base hasn’t been formed yet on the result of two years of the existing of a problem. Although, two international organizations have already financed this direction and made the attempts to start a base.

“It would allow not to have the dubbing of migrants registration, – sured Elena Vinogradova, – eliminate the registration of ten people by one Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, wouldn’t allow to input 123-year old people, make impossible the registration of a million of people on one address.

Unfortunately, there are no any provisions for a unified information database. All of this is tempting to think, that unclear system is profitable to somebody from top posts. Maybe, because the absence of clear rules gives an opportunity to realize manipulations with serious financial resource – social payments to IDPs.

Irina Korosteleva special for informator.lg.ua