Labor exploitation, beatings and extortion of personal funds: results of inspection of orphanage in Zakarpattia
Representatives of the Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman conducted an inspection in one of the orphanages in Zakarpattia.
This was reported by the Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, Censor.NET reports.
He said that during the inspection, representatives of the Office found that
- Residents of the institution were used as free "labor" to pick apples in the private garden of one of the enterprises. During the inspection of documents, an agreement was found between the directors of the orphanage and the enterprise on mutual assistance in picking apples.
- The director of the orphanage beat a resident. This was witnessed by his deputy and another resident, who took measures to stop the physical force
- Residents were extorted to pay money to buy furniture for the orphanage. This was confirmed by documents, testimony of the children and the administration of the facility.
The audit also found that all bank cards with their pin codes, personal bank accounts, and documents of the children were kept in the deputy director's safe.
"In order to use their own money from the cards, the children had to ask for it with a fictitious "application"! Twelve such "applications" written in the same handwriting were found, and they were used to request the use of funds in the amount of UAH 5,100. The director later explained that the money was used to buy cabinets worth more than 50,000 hryvnias. However, this furniture is not accounted for in the institution..." - Lubinets said.
The representative of the Ombudsman in Zakarpattia region, Andrii Kryuchkov, sent a report on the detection of signs of criminal offenses based on the above violations. Currently, the National Police of Ukraine have inspected the scene, interviewed the director and seized documents.
"I would like to emphasize that such violations of the rights of children are unacceptable! The situation requires a proper response and punishment of the perpetrators!" the Ombudsman summarized.
