Yuliya Lynch
Perm, Russia
Perm Regional Assistance Center
I am working in the Perm Regional Human Rights Protection Center (PRHRPC) in Perm, Russia. This organization offers free legal help to people, who cannot afford to pay for the legal assistance. They have many complains from prisoners and their relatives. Perm is a relatively small city and regional government may be corrupted and not interested in promoting human rights, but rather keep their power. The PRHRPC is a very popular socially powerful organization that works very intensive to protect the citizens.
Last week I went to the round table, where safety on the work place was discussed. Scientists, production companies, authorities, and different legal organs were present. The main question was: “How can Russian companies produce adequate respiratory safety equipment?” It is my understanding of the issue that the manufactures of the respiratory safety equipment did not break the law; they followed the official standards.
However, the standards are too low and not easy to interpret. In this discussion, three sides were presented: the local government, production industry, and human rights activists (PRHRPC). After the debates, it became clear that an official investigation must be conducted and laws (standards), as well as business practices must be changed if necessary.
Every Monday and Thursday, from 4-7 pm citizens come to the Center to express their complaints and to speak with legal representatives. I will discuss it in my next blog.