Una cinquantina i casi sottoposti al Garante nel corso del 2023. Questioni centrali, stando alle segnalazioni, sono risultate la conflittualità genitoriale nonché la compromissione delle competenze educative delle famiglie

Un’analisi sui casi affrontati in relazione alla violazione dei diritti dei minori. È quella fornita dal Garante regionale sulla base dell’attività svolta nel 2023, che va a confermare la delicatezza e la complessità che caratterizzano questo ambito d’intervento.
Il ricorso al Garante si configura, nella quasi totalità delle situazioni rappresentate, come una ricerca di aiuto per rimuovere criticità che si sono sviluppate nei contesti familiari, comunitari, scolastici, sportivi, ricreativi o nel sistema di relazioni fra i minori ed gli adulti.
Una cinquantina i casi affrontati nel 2023. Questioni centrali, stando alle segnalazioni, sono risultate la conflittualità genitoriale nonché la compromissione delle competenze educative delle famiglie.
La maggior parte dei casi risultavano già noti alle autorità giudiziarie, ma nonostante la definizione dei relativi provvedimenti continuavano a manifestare problematiche irrisolte.
A seguire le segnalazioni inerenti l’erogazione degli interventi sanitari, il supporto alla genitorialità o alla tutela dei minori. Rientrano in questo ambito quelle relative a casi di minori fuori della famiglia d’origine, inseriti in comunità o in affido familiare, nonché le segnalazioni di tutori volontari e curatori di minori.
Non sono mancate segnalazioni per quanto riguarda la tematica dell’istruzione e formazione, in buona parte riferite alla presunta compromissione del diritto allo studio di minori con diagnosi di disabilità o portatori di bisogni educativi speciali.
In capo a tutto questo la constatazione che continuano ad essere gravi gli effetti prolungati dell’emergenza pandemica sulla vita dei minori. Il Garante è intervenuto in più occasioni evidenziando il disagio vissuto per effetto del distanziamento sociale e della difficoltà di alcuni ragazzi a riprendere la regolare frequenza scolastica. L’aumento delle attività social, del tempo trascorso davanti al computer, al tablet, al cellulare, ha determinato la crescita delle condizioni di stress, con conseguenze non solo sulla salute fisica ma anche su quella emozionale-psichica, ampliando la presenza di disturbi comportamentali ed emotivi.

A.Is.

In a letter addressed to the Deputy Speaker of the National Council of the Slovak Republic (Parliament) and several Committee chairpersons, published today, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, expresses concerns about the compatibility of two draft laws affecting civil society and the public service broadcaster with human rights standards.

In relation to the draft law on non-profit organisations, Commissioner O’Flaherty highlights that sanctions for failing to meet new annual reporting obligations, including dissolution of an organisation, “appear to lack appropriate procedural safeguards and to fail to sufficiently meet the requirements of necessity and proportionality.” He also expresses concern that the registration and labelling of ‘organisations with foreign support’ will create a chilling effect for civil society in the Slovak Republic. He calls on members of the National Council to refrain from adopting the bill as tabled.

As regards the bill replacing the current public service broadcaster RTVS with a new entity (STVR), the Commissioner highlights the importance of having legislative frameworks that ensure the independence of public service media from government control. He therefore asks the National Council to “give close consideration to concerns that elements of the bill may undermine safeguards for the operational and editorial independence of the public service broadcaster.”

• Read the Commissioner’s letter addressed to the Deputy Speaker and Committee chairs of the National Council of the Slovak Republic

London borough of Tower Hamlets did not do enough to help a family who were about to be evicted by their landlord, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found.

The family’s landlord served them with an eviction notice in November 2021, so they contacted the council for help. But instead of taking action to help the family, it did not respond properly.

As they had nowhere else to go, they had to stay put. The father was disabled, and the extended family struggled to find another suitable property.

The Ombudsman’s investigation said the council did not meet its duties when the family first contacted it. The council should have had reason to believe the family were eligible for housing assistance and therefore provided them with interim accommodation, but it did not do so.

As a result, the family spent many months not knowing how or when the council would help them. They were eventually evicted by bailiffs, had to ask friends and family to look after their belongings, and spent several months in bed and breakfast accommodation away from their support networks and health services. The family eventually moved to self-contained accommodation.

Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, Ms Amerdeep Somal said:

“This case clearly demonstrates how vital it is for councils to follow the correct process at the earliest opportunity to achieve the best possible outcome for vulnerable families at risk of losing their homes.

“Instead, Tower Hamlets relied on gatekeeping their services – and not acting until the family’s situation was desperate.

“As a result, the family tell me they had to face the humiliation and indignity of being evicted by bailiffs from their home, and the embarrassment of having to ask friends and family to look after their belongings until they were properly housed.

“I am pleased London Borough of Tower Hamlets has agreed to my recommendations and hope the lessons that can be learned from this case will prevent this happening to others.”

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman remedies injustice and shares learning from investigations to help improve public, and adult social care, services. In this case the council has agreed to apologise to the family and pay them a combined £1,355 for the uncertainty, worry and avoidable costs incurred.

It will also decide whether it owes the family a main housing duty and review their priority on the housing register. It will back-date any additional priority to October 2022 when it should have made a main housing duty decision.

The Ombudsman has the power to make recommendations to improve processes for the wider public. In this case the council will share a summary of the learning from the case with all officers who deal with homelessness decisions to ensure lessons are learned. It will also remind relevant officers of their duties to homelessness applicants and the steps they need to take. It has also agreed to provide evidence of the action it is taking to source interim accommodation in its area.

Article date: 13 May 2024

Renfe no garantiza el derecho a la movilidad a cientos de miles de personas

Los costes económicos, emocionales y de bienestar personal son injustificados, y son necesarias medidas excepcionales para revertir la situación
 

La institución del Síndic de Greuges ha abierto una actuación de oficio a raíz de la afectación generalizada en el servicio de Cercanías del 12 de mayo por el robo de cobre.

Este acto vandálico, ocurrido en Montcada Bifurcació durante la madrugada del sábado al domingo, provocó una sobretensión en la red que afectó de forma generalizada al servicio de Cercanías: la mayoría de trenes no pudieron llegar ni salir de Barcelona, lo que dificultó notablemente la movilidad de muchísimas personas. En estos momentos se prevé un período largo de tiempo hasta que se pueda normalizar el servicio.

En el marco de esta actuación de oficio, la síndica ha dirigido una petición de información al Departamento de Territorio para que explique las medidas previstas para garantizar los derechos de las personas usuarias a la asistencia, la información y la calidad del servicio mientras duren estas afectaciones; qué servicios alternativos de transporte se van a implementar, y cuál es la fecha prevista para recuperar la normalidad.

También se ha dirigido al Departamento de Interior para conocer las medidas que se han implementado y las que están previstas para evitar los robos de cobre en el futuro.

El Síndic de Greuges recuerda que en el Informe sobre los derechos de las personas en los servicios ferroviarios en Cataluña, de 2016, ya se remarcaba que el Código de consumo de Cataluña considera que los transportes son un servicio básico, es decir, un servicio de carácter esencial y necesario para la vida cotidiana o que tiene un uso generalizado entre las personas. Sin embargo, las frecuentes incidencias de Cercanías y Regionales hacen que el transporte público ferroviario no sea suficientemente fiable y que el servicio pierda calidad. El informe también incluía setenta y cinco medidas para garantizar un servicio de calidad.

En paralelo, la institución recuerda que los consumidores tienen derecho a la protección de su salud y seguridad, a la protección de sus intereses económicos y sociales y, obviamente, a la indemnización y reparación de los daños sufridos y a su protección jurídica, administrativa y técnica.

The Ombudsman helps EU citizens in various areas and situations, for example when they are disadvantaged at work, when they are claiming parental allowance or pensions or if their children have not received enough language support at school. EU citizens or their family members can ask the Ombudsman for help when they experienced unequal treatment due to their nationality. For more information about the Ombudsman's assistance to EU citizens, see the Ombudsman's website.

Since 2018, the Ombudsman has been helping EU citizens in the Czech republic and thereby contributing to the right of free movement of EU citizens. He is monitoring the rights of EU citizens in the Czech republic as well as the rights of Czech citizens who have returned from abroad. Similar bodies promoting equal treatment and supporting workers in the European Union and their family members are mandatory in all EU states. A list of these bodies is available on the European Commission's website. Thus Czechs living abroad can rely on the fact that there is a body in each EU country and they can contact its office when they need help.

"Being the member state of the EU we have been able to influence European politics for the past 20 years and we have become a major player on the political map of the world. We are part of internal EU market – one of the largest economic units in the world. Our businesses can sell their products and services in other countries. People can move and settle across Europe as they wish. They can live in other countries without complicated formalities and conditions. On the other hand then they can return to the Czech Republic without any problems. Nevertheless, citizens of the European Union face a number of problematic situations as well. I would like to assure EU citizens that they can turn to us and ask for help. We will explain them their rights and advice them how they can defend themselves in a given situation," Ombudsman Stanislav Křeček said.

To get a better picture of what EU citizens living in the Czech Republic are concerned about and what they are facing, the Ombudsman organized a wide-ranging survey in 2021. This has produced a range of useful information and revealed problematic areas that could be improved. For example, the research showed that EU citizens faced problems mainly in job search, job allocation and pay for work. Workers in the least skilled jobs were more likely to experience this. However, anti-discrimination law prohibits discrimination against employees from other EU Member States in terms of access to and conditions of employment.

Furthermore, the research revealed that foreigners in the Czech Republic often work in positions below their level of education and qualifications or that their lack of knowledge of Czech is often a "trigger" for discrimination. Almost two thirds of EU citizens working in the Czech Republic who felt disadvantaged did not take any defensive action. Most of them did not believe that their protest would make a difference. Therefore the Ombudsman has issued a set of recommendations for ministries and authorities, as well as municipalities and regions to improve life conditions EU citizens in the Czech Republic.