Legal Activity
From the very beginning of the “Ecotelephone” Hot Line, citizens requested for environmental legal advice and assistance. The number of such inquiries has permanently increased.
Therefore activists of “MAMA-86” revealed the need and citizens' interest in resolving environmental issues by means of legal knowledge and instruments and initiated related project.
Starting from January 2001 “MAMA-86” (January 2001—July 2002 in partnership with ABA/CEELI) provides legal support and assistance on the environmental law free of charge in Kyiv and Odesa.
Legal activity aims at raising level of public awareness on the environmental legal practice, and involvement of public in protection of their environmental rights, interests and other associated rights .
Main activities carried out within the framework of free environmental legal assistance are as follows:
- consultation and providing legal assistance to the citizens;
- consultation and providing legal assistance to the activists of “MAMA-86” and other NGOs;
- participation and organising lectures, workshops, trainings, and conferences;
- participation in national and international environmentally oriented exhibitions, the NGOs Day, etc;
- dissemination of printed materials on environmental rights and other associated rights among the public;
- participation in drafting legal acts and instruments on environmental matters.
Free of charged legal assistance includes:
- Providing consultation in a written or verbal form;
- Preparation of necessary documents (statements of claim, petitions, applications, and appeals);
- Legal support in case proceeding at all stages of dealing with problems.
In general, 500 persons obtained direct legal assistance during January 2001-May 2003. The lawyers' activity under the “Ecotelephone” project helped to materialise and protect environmental and other associated rights of about 150,000 persons.
