Empowerment and Protection - Stories of Human Security Oct. 2014 | Page 34

Ukraine

intoxicated owners of expensive vehicles killing
people on bus stops and sidewalks and then easily
escaping from justice. These reports caused strong
public outrage. Petro, a 25-year-old car mechanic
described Kyiv as unsafe for drivers: “I know lots of
cases that resulted from basic traffic rule violations.
Young partying rich girls don’t follow the rules.
On the roads of Kyiv, motorcyclists simply can’t
survive! I know of many deadly cases over the last
five years.”

LD BANK 2014A)

DGE)

Both street crime and traffic accidents were related
to an unsafe urban infrastructure. Interviewees
highlighted collapsing sidewalks, unlit streets, dim
subways and excessive snow and ice obstructing
traffic in winter, which reflect a lack of municipal
governance. Volodymyr recounted that, “most sick
leaves among workers are due to injuries they get at
night time – coming back home, at unlit bus stops
or deserted subways, from icy roads in winter. One
can be injured easily and there is no chance to get
medical first aid [from an ambulance].” The idea
=10.000.000

”I
 have come to realise
that no one needs us, the
common people. That’s all.”
that urban disorder and vandalism contributed to
increased rates of crime and anti-social behaviour,
known better as the ‘broken window theory’,6
resonated with security perceptions expressed by
many interviewees.

Lack of health care

Inadequate access to, or poor quality of health
services was a concern expressed by health care
workers and the middle aged and elderly. Tetiana,
a doctor in Kyiv, said, “As a medical doctor I would
say that a very low level of public healthcare is a
threat to the patient. The equipment is very bad,
and the professional level of the doctors is low. That
leads to wrong diagnosis and incorrect treatment.
Our security is in our hands. Public healthcare
doesn’t do its job.” Corruption also affects the
health care system. Misha, in Simferopol, alleged
that, “In the hospital, unless you pay ‘a voluntary
contribution’, they won’t provide help.”
34 stories of Human Security | Ukraine

Security providers

Multiple sources of human insecurity

When comparing responses from Simferopol and
Kyiv there were many commonalities, despite the
fact that the two regions are usually seen as very
distinct. For many interviewees, a combination
of security concerns increased their overall
vulnerability and a sense of helplessness. Raya, a
middle-aged domestic worker in Sviatoshyn, Kyiv
exemplified this: “The state doesn’t provide for
our [young people], through work or anything
else. My one son is a drug addict. My other son
got into a car accident. He wasn’t guilty and now
he’s disabled and no one needs him. They don’t
even want to pay his insurance. This boss, the one
who hit him with his car, is asking him not to go to
court. [...] I have come to realise that no one needs
us, the common people. That’s all.” Drug abuse is
an example of a coping mechanism that is also a
source of insecurity. It was mentioned by several of
those interviewed directly affected as users, family
members or health workers.

The range of security threats and the most commonly cited
insecurities pointed to a marked absence of public security
provision and rule of law. A 45-year-old lawyer, Alex, who moved to
Kyiv from the eastern city of Donetsk described that “The insecurity
is in the arbitrary treatment on the part of the authorities.” When
reflecting on who to turn to and how to cope with insecurity, many
respondents pointed to the failures of the state institutions, and
resorted to alternative or individual means for protection and
empowerment. Coping strategies ranged from passive avoidance of
risks, to more active engagement with authorities.

In addition to the issues presented above, civic
unrest was noted as a source of insecurity, even
before the Euromaidan crisis grew. Middle-aged
residents also reported concern with infrastructure
deficits that affect water, electricity and heating,
whereas older respondents who remembered the
Chernobyl disaster in the 1980s counted natural
disasters and technological accidents as potential
security threats.

Anton, a 41-year-old IT worker in downtown Kyiv
describes the weak presence of the state.
[I feel threatened] when I don’t know what to expect
from the law enforcement when I encounter them in
everyday circumstances. What rights do I have, and
what rights do they have? You need to enter into
an argument with them literally on everything – any
baseless questions like ‘who are you’, ‘what are you
doing here’, ‘show your documents’. Things like that.
How can I explain it? I don’t feel protected in terms
of, well, the state system, isn’t it? I don’t know who
owes me and what I owe in different situations. This
relates to Zhek f, this relates to the police, and even
public bus drivers. Every time you have to argue
with a particular individual. I would call it minimal
awareness and minimal transparency. I don’t feel
like there is any sort of local authority, at the district
or street level, and in the same sense I don’t feel
protection from law enforcement. I am absolutely
unsure that police is on my side or that they are
interested in bothering with my case.

Though respondents did not mention poverty as
a primary source of insecurity, social inequality
was reflected in whether and how respondents
felt in a position to cope with the threats. It should
also be noted that both Kyiv and Simferopol have
better employment and income opportunities than
other areas of the country. To assess the relevance
of freedom from want as a human security factor
in Ukraine, specific research would need to be
conducted in other geographic areas with higher
levels of poverty such as Ternopil, Rivne, Sumy
regions, and northern Crimea.

f This term refers to the housing office – a superficially reformed relic
of the Soviet system – municipal offices that collect payment on behalf
of large private utilities providers and provide maintenance and repair
services to t he majority of urban households.

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Some time ago I had to take part in litigation as a
complainant’s friend. This was related to a traffic
accident. After giving testimony I never saw or heard
or any activity on the part of the law enforcement. The
owner of the car was a Member of Parliament. Frankly,
given the number plate and the car – a Mercedes 600
– [the defence lawyer] couldn’t guarantee a successful
trial, even though it drove against a red light and killed
a cyclist at the pedestrian crossing. He charged $500
for his work, and said: ‘there are levers of influence up

” feel insecure to
I
some extent every
day as I don’t
understand where I
can find justice in this
system.”
there, which will simply lead to failure of the case’. And
while it was being investigated, they transferred it to
the prosecutor’s office. It appeared that the defendant
in this case was the son of the MP. He tried to hush
the case by ‘gifts’, shall we say. I feel insecure to some
extent every day as I don’t understand where I can find
justice in this system.

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