Crossing the Line of Contact - Monitoring Report, October - November 2017 [EN/UK]
INTRODUCTION
This report is based on the results of a survey conducted by the Charitable Foundation «The Right to Protection» (R2P) at the five entry-exit checkpoints (EECPs) to the non-government-controlled area (NGCA) and has been administered on a regular basis since June 2017. The survey is a part of the monitoring of violations of rights of the conflict-affected population within the framework of the project «Advocacy, Protection and Legal Assistance to the Internally Displaced Population of Ukraine» implemented by R2P with the support of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The purpose of the survey is to explore the reasons for and concerns of those travelling between the NGCA and the government-controlled area (GCA), as well as the conditions and risks associated with crossing the line of contact through EECPs. The information collected in the survey helps identify needs, gaps and trends, and provides an evidentiary basis for advocacy efforts.
The report is based on data collected during October-November 2017. This period was characterized by the deterioration of weather conditions. Having analyzed the results of the previous period1 , the approach to conducting the survey was adjusted in order to obtain more accurate data.
Tens of thousands of people cross the five operating EECPs every day. During the reporting period, the total number of people crossing EECPs ranged daily from 27,000 to 42,0002.
Since the creation of official corridors for crossing the line of contact, their operation has raised a great number of complaints. The imbalance between the number of such corridors/number of EECP staff and the number of people wishing to cross the line of contact is obvious. This leads to numerous negative phenomena and significantly limits civilian freedom of movement.
Information about long lines, unsatisfactory EECP equipment, corruption and incidents appear regularly in the media and on social networks, inducing human rights advocates to conduct thorough monitoring of observance of the rights of the people crossing the line of contact through the operating EECPs. By observing the crossing processes and studying opinions of persons crossing the line of contact, R2P contributes to monitoring the protection environment and respect for civilians’ rights in the crossing process.