Human Rights Week in Voronezh

During Human Rights Week in Voronezh, which ran from June 25 to 29, 2012, leading legal experts reached out to nearly 800 people to raise awareness of human rights issues.  Initiated by Management Systems International (MSI) and the Voronezh Center for Civic Initiatives, the event brought together representatives of more than 30 human rights organizations from Moscow, Voronezh, Novosibirsk, Nizhniy Novgorod, Perm, and Kazan to share experience and provide consultations on a wide spectrum of legal issues.  A caricature exhibit was part of the final open-air happening of a week filled with master classes, workshops, film screenings, and roundtables that raised issues related to rights of orphans, disabled people, children, homeowners, and freedom of assembly.  USAID staff traveled to Voronezh to observe many of the sessions. Voronezh residents used the opportunity to speak with professional lawyers and experts about their legal concerns and received practical guidance.  Locals can also get free legal aid any time at the Voronezh Human Rights House, provided by experts from dedicated local NGOs such as the USAID-supported Voronezh Center for Civic Initiatives.  Implemented by MSI, the I’ve Got Rights: Mainstreaming Social, Civil, and Human Rights project works with NGO sub-grantees to increase the knowledge of Russian citizens about their human, social and civil rights, and create conditions that enable them to effectively protect those rights.