Legal Aid and Protection Needs of the People Displaced from Ukraine

Executive summary

In Autumn 2023, the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) Polska, in collaboration with the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, undertook the study on Legal Aid and Protection Needs of the People Displaced from Ukraine.

The study's primary objective was to evaluate the need for legal assistance and access to services of Ukrainian citizens who departed the country after 24 February 2022, in both Ukraine and the country of residence abroad.

The study focused on exploring the challenges faced by displaced individuals, specifically regarding their access to temporary protection, legal services, and documentation. Notably, the absence (at the time of the study) of regulations for extending temporary status beyond 4 March 2024 emerged as a major concern among both displaced persons and service providers interviewed during the surveys.

Overall, the integration of displaced individuals into Polish society is generally assessed by respondents as positive, yet at the individual level, it often poses challenges. Factors hindering integration included a lack of employment, limited language proficiency, and a lack of interaction within the local community.

Notably, housing emerged as a pressing concern affecting all segments of the population, irrespective of their geographic location. Since the parliamentary election campaign in Poland (autumn 2023) the negative attitude towards Ukrainian refugees started growing, indicating increasing challenges for social cohesion.

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