Internally Displaced Persons and Their Legal Status: The Ukrainian Context

The article examines the issues of social protection of internally displaced people as a new subject of social-security law. The legal foundations with regard to these individuals are on their way, under development. Ukraine’s law On the Rights and Freedoms of Internally Displaced People is established as the initial indicator that this subject is becoming recognised as a field of social-security law – specifically, internally displaced people and determining legal regulation. This law presents a definition of ‘internally displaced people’, presents a compilation of their rights and obligations, determines the legal status of such people, provides guarantees of social protection, and addresses related matters. Nonetheless, several issues still require legal regulation. The authors conclude that, for the qualitative improvement of legal regulation of the status of IDPs and their social protection, there must be complex interaction within both legal science and legislative entities and that bodies with special competence in this field must be established to engage in dialogue with civil and international organisations