PUBLIC ANTI-CORRUPTION ADVOCATE NETWORK/ CITIZEN ADVOCATE OFFICES (PAAN/CAOs)
ACTION Project is supporting the work of 9 anti-corruption Citizen Advocate Offices (CAO) in 6 regions of Ukraine. Starting in August, these CAOs opened their doors to citizens who need consulting services on countering corruption or dealing with excessive bureaucracy. The CAOs are operating as civil society organizations.
List of services which are going to be provided by CAOs:
Consulting assistance:
Providing cost-free legal advice to citizens for countering the problems of corruption and excessive bureaucracy;
Providing assistance to citizens with collecting and preparing the necessary documentation and materials for cases involving corruption, providing legal expertise for the preparation of collected materials in order to submit them to the appropriate bodies for official investigation; monitoring the governmental handling of submitted materials;
Providing, if necessary, legal assistance for citizens’ cases in court.
Informational and awareness-raising activities:
Systematic education of citizens about the CAO’s services, publishing informational materials, conducting trainings and seminars for citizens regarding their rights and responsibilities in interactions with the authorities, organizing and facilitating meetings and round tables on selected topics;
Forming a library and database for sources of material for raising legal awareness and other documents needed for CAO consultations;
Informing the press about methods to protect citizens’ rights and ways to prevent the violation of their rights, legal commentaries etc.;
Consulting with citizens and establishments at their offices;
Compiling standard approaches for CAO work and publishing a handbook for their needs;
Small business laboratory will continue servicing already existing Informational Center and the toll-free hotline 8 (800) 500 31 00. Consultants employed by the Center will either provide legal consultations or redirect calls to one of the following resources (1) hotlines of state bodies; 2) NGOs consulting citizens in the regions 3) Center’s lawyers). Lawyers will also provide assistance to citizens in filing complaints to the court of law in corruption-related cases.
