Social protection of migrant workers in Ukraine: striving towards European standards under crisis

Abstract:

The article aims to analyse the state of social protection for migrant workers in Ukraine. We investigated the legal status of migrant workers in Ukraine and carried out a comparative analysis of national and European experience in the area of protection of migrant workers’ rights. The author provides grounded support for a set of administrative measures aimed to implement the rights of migrant workers as a part of Ukraine’s international and European commitments. The practical significance of the article lies in the evaluation of Ukraine’s readiness to ratify Article 19 of the European Social Charter (revised) “The right of migrant workers and their families to protection and assistance”.

The author analyses the influence of the socio-political and economic crisis in Ukraine on the processes of external and internal migration, and on the social protection policies in the area of forced migrants. Also, the study assesses the social assistance provided to internally displaced persons. Finally, it suggests complex measures designed to counteract the negative migration trend.

This article appears in Thematic issue of the Eastern journal of European studies: Ukrainian crisis. Rethinking geopolitics in Europe