In the first quarter of 2021, during the three months of Article 30 of the Language Law, the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language received 1,129 complaints from citizens regarding violations of language legislation in various spheres of public life.
Kyiv. Ukraine. Ukraine Gate – April 27, 2021 – Reports
According to him, in the IV quarter of 2020 such reports were received almost 10 times less – only 144.
“The increase in the number of citizens’ appeals is primarily due to the fact that on January 16, 2021, Article 30 of the language law came into force, which provides for the full transition of the service sector to the state language. Our website has also been launched, thanks to which citizens can submit an appeal or complaint by filling out the appropriate electronic form, “said Taras Kremin.
Regarding violations of the right to receive information and services in Ukrainian, most citizens applied from Kyiv (327) and Kyiv region (120), from Lviv region – 108 citizens, who mostly record violations in other regions, from Kharkiv – 99, Odesa – 49, Dnipropetrovsk – 41, Chernihiv – 35, Zaporizhia – 23, Poltava – 21, Donetsk – 17, Luhansk – 14, Vinnytsia – 13, Ivano-Frankivsk – 12, Mykolaiv and Chernivtsi – 11 each, Cherkasy, Kherson, and Volyn – 8 appeals each. The smallest number of appeals came from the Zhytomyr region – 2, Rivne – 5, Sumy – 6, 7 appeals were sent by residents of Khmelnytsky, Ternopil, Kirovohrad, Zakarpattia regions. Other appeals do not specify the applicant’s region.
“In general, in the first quarter of 2021, violations of the language law were recorded in all regions of Ukraine,” Taras Kremin said.
The most widespread are reports of the absence of the Ukrainian version of online shopping sites and websites on the provision of services in the state language – 446.
“In order to eliminate violations, we have done a lot of work. As required by law, letters have been sent to each website owner requesting that the violation be rectified. It is worth noting that the vast majority of online store owners honestly approach the elimination of violations and within 30 days inform us about the transition of Internet resources to the state language. I am convinced that in the future the number of complaints about violations in this area will decrease, “the Commissioner stressed.
249 citizens from different regions of Ukraine complained about the violation of their rights to receive information and services in the state language in small shops and well-known retail chains, as well as in pharmacies, beauty salons, gyms, restaurants, and cafes.
The number of citizens’ appeals regarding violations of language legislation by officials of state authorities and local self-government of Odesa, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Cherkasy, Kyiv, and Zaporizhia oblasts remains consistently high.
“The number of citizens’ complaints about violations of the law by local authorities is almost a tenth of the total. In this regard, I would like to remind you that according to Article 12 of the Law of Ukraine “On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language”, deputies of local councils and local government officials are obliged to speak the state language and use it in the performance of official duties. languages, including during meetings, events, meetings, and working conversations. If a language other than the state language is used during the meeting, event, or meeting, translation into the state language must be provided, ”Taras Kremin emphasized.
He also noted that based on the results of consideration of appeals in which citizens allegedly grossly violated their rights to receive services in the state language, the Commissioner decided to implement measures of state control over the use of the state language.
“According to Article 56 of the Law of Ukraine” On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language “, 35 measures of state control have already been launched in the first quarter of this year, while 22 such measures were implemented last year,” Taras Kremin said.
“Despite the fact that we continue to record violations of the Law, it should be noted that the Ukrainian, in particular in the field of service, is becoming more and more,” – said the Commissioner.
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Source: Ukrgate
