Human Rights Monitoring Institute has recently released an information guide “KNOW Your Human Rights and Their Protection”, dedicated to citizens of countries outside the EU. This methodological material is destined to introduce foreigners living in Lithuania to fundamental human rights, their conception and origin, hate crime concept and the non-discrimination principle.
“KNOW Your Human Rights and Their Protection” is the first thorough informational publication of this type in Lithuanian, English and Russian. In this information guide, information about human rights protection system, how to address institutions, how to prepare and submit documents, periods of consideration and reaction to complaints and other information is presented in detail.
In HRMI training, carried out as a part of a project “Info center for Migrants in Klaipėda”, a major part of the third-country nationals (30,8%) admitted they were lacking information on who could they address when discriminated or had their rights otherwise violated, or stated that they didn’t see a point in reporting these crimes. Informational guide “Know” is destined to fill the information gaps and encourage foreigners to defend their rights actively.
Even though today Lithuania invites more and more foreigners to live and work here, only 16 % of residents of Lithuania (according to European Migration Network data of 2012) think that immigration is a positive phenomenon. It is obvious that hostility against immigrants in Lithuanian society can lead to discriminatory practices towards them and prevent them from exercising fundamental human rights and liberties.
Information guide “KNOW Your Human Rights and Their Protection” is available in English or Russian.
Partners of publication: Lithuanian Red Cross Society, “Caritas”
Sponsors of publication: European Fund for the Integration of third-country nationals
