The NGO “We shall protect the future” is drawing on court decisions to fight hazardous construction methods and protect residents’ rights in Russia.

Starting Position

Between 1990-92 a vast number of houses were built in the Russian heavy industry region of Kemerovo, employing material which nobody had bothered to test as to its potential health risk. Tatjana Shipulina from the suburb of Webuye found that she and her family fell ill remarkably often in their new apartment. She investigated further and had the insulating wall coverings in her home examined. In 1995 the construction and health inspectorate confirmed that the building material contained penopolystyrol, a highly toxic and prohibited substance. To establish her right to healthy accommodation she attended seminars and founded the NGO “We shall protect the future”.

Methods

The NGO went to court and demanded replacement accommodation without health hazards for all the people affected.The case is still pending before the civil court. The NGO also brought the case before a criminal court which involved substantial costs on the part of the people concerned, legal support from a Moscow lawyer, the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Council of Europe, as well as financial subsidies from US-AID and Action Fund Miliukontakt Eastern Europe. As a consequence the 93 families affected were offered replacement accommodation by the city administration of Novokuznetsk. Replacement turned out to be an unfinished building, with no date for completion in sight. Despite substantial financial problems the NGO demanded to have the building completed only to find that the same toxic insulating material as before had been used! The case was tried once more before a criminal court and the people were moved yet again in 2004.

Experiences, Transfer Potential

The case successfully raised people’s awareness for hazardous building material. The NGO was instrumental in having a school for visually impaired children relocated in a building raised in accordance with statutory ecological standards. “We shall protect the future” has acquired plenty of expertise in the course of development and is now in a position to help others in need. Companies have also sought the NGO’s consulting services.

The initiative has managed to build up contact with the European Court of Human Rights and the Council of Europe. Following a large-scale canvassing campaign with 15,000 signatures collected the Russian president and the governor of the region of Kemerovo assumed responsibility for raising residential buildings in conformity with the law, a decision which now serves as a vital basis for all relevant court proceedings. The NGO is currently building up a network to support the Novokuznetsk administration in resisting pressure from the construction industry.

The university of Perm was consulted for scientific expert reports and is now cooperating closely with the NGO on a permanent basis. A TV programme was produced to inform other residents of Novokuznetsk about the state of plate buildings raised in too short a time. The programme was broadcast in other cities as well. Ms Shipulina is approached regularly for information.