UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th January, 2020) Almost half of the military veterans of the conflict in Donbas suffer bias and mistreatment when reintegrating civilian life, a new International Organization for Migration (IOM) survey revealed on Friday.
IOM said it surveyed 2,530 respondents from July to October 2019, when, according to Ukrainian authorities, there were approximately 370,000 veterans in the country.
"The respondents were asked if they had faced any bias or unfair treatment (discrimination) directed at veterans in the last six months in different spheres. In general, almost a half of the surveyed respondents (49 percent) indicated that they had encountered at least one such case," the IOM said.
The survey results indicated that biased attitudes occurred most frequently when veterans were exercising the right to free public transportation or accessing medical or administrative services.
The survey also found out that the highest share of bias was identified in Kiev.
When attempting to receive priority housing, 86 percent of the respondents said they encountered difficulties, while 45 percent reported a failure in obtaining long-term educational loans for children.
Veterans also said the feeling of exclusion from society and a strong sense of self-identification with individuals with the same military background, according to the IOM.
