Social Conditions for IDPs Not Changed

Sopo Getsadze

Social conditions for IDPs have not changed yet. IDPs from Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region in the 1990s complained about it with the Human Rights Center. They said they have many problems; the main problem is that despite many years passed since the displacement, many of them still lack shelter.

We interviewed IDPs who still live in Hotel “Abkhazia” in Tbilisi. However, they have not registered the accommodations where they live. They equally pay bills for electricity despite the difference in accommodation space and number of family members.

IDP from Tskhinvali: “Conditions have not changed for us. We wonder where we will finally be employed. They should either employ us somewhere or give permanent accommodation. We have been internally displaced for more than 21 years already and we still do not know whom these accommodations belong to. Although they have resolved water problem, the pipes are still damaged. They have supplied the building with water; installed new pipes but the water is not flowing in new pipes so we still use old ones.”

IDP from Tskhinvali: “As for electricity meters, I have to pay 17 GEL for each room; I have three rooms and have to pay 51 GEL every month. I do not know whether I really spend so much electricity. It is a serious problem. Besides that, they do not install new meters because they do not want to register the accommodations in this building on us. People of our age – over 50, were fired from jobs. I cannot get pension yet and so we live without income. They have never offered any job to us for 20 years.”

An IDP from Abkhazia: “I rented a flat for a long time. I have not paid the rent for 7 months. The landlord gave me one month to cover the entire debt and unless I pay the money, he will expel me from the house. I have been waiting for a shelter for 19 months. Could not they give me a temporary accommodation with two beds and a table?!”

IDPs complain about their differentiation by the government. IDPs from Tskhinvali connect the fact with the activities of Abkhaz government. They said the Abkhaz authority always makes presents for IDP children on holidays; they take them to resorts in summer; but nobody pays attention to IDP children from Tskhinvali.

Many organizations work on IDP issues. Among them is the Human Rights Center. The main problem for IDPs is unemployment and inadequate living conditions. Lawyer Shorena Latatia said although many accommodations were rehabilitated last year, there are still settlements with sanitary problems. “IDPs live in inadequate living conditions and have very hard social life. It is particularly painful in Samegrelo region. Lack of information is another problem: IDPs do not know about current projects implemented by the Ministry of IDPs from the Occupied Territories and Accommodation; they are not involved in the working-out process of the strategy.”

We asked the Ministry representative what problems IDPs from Abkhazia and Tskhinvali have and what measures are taken by the Ministry to eradicate those problems. The press-center suggested us to find out the situation better and to ask more concrete questions. We asked more concrete questions though they did not reply anyway.