„Es ist traurig, dass es den Equal Pay Day immer noch gibt“, attestiert Volksanwältin Gaby Schwarz anlässlich der Berechnung von “Business & Professional Women”, wonach Frauen heuer von 1. Jänner bis 13. Februar gratis arbeiten. „Was würden Männer sagen, wenn sie 44 Tage ohne Bezahlung arbeiten müssten? Sicher nicht! Aber genau das ist für viele Frauen in Österreich Realität“, so Gaby Schwarz.

„Bei uns in der Volksanwaltschaft verdienen Männer und Frauen dasselbe. Darauf bin ich stolz und das sollte überall so sein“, betont die Volksanwältin und spricht sich für flächendeckende Lohntransparenz aus. Zudem appelliert sie an alle Männer mutig aufzustehen und gemeinsam mit den Frauen ein Ende dieser Ungerechtigkeit einzufordern.

On February 5–6, Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise and Head of the Inspection Visits Department Indrek-Ivar Määrits participated in discussions on the EU Migration Pact in Brussels. The legal acts within the package are complex, and their interpretation has led to significant disagreements. The goal is to swiftly determine at the border who may be in need of asylum while ensuring that others are returned. 

The European Union has decided that each member state must have an independent observer to monitor this process. In many countries, assigning this responsibility to the Ombudsman or a national human rights institution (NHRI) is under consideration. The EU intends to strictly oversee the implementation of this monitoring obligation. It was also acknowledged that this responsibility represents a substantial additional workload, requiring stable funding.

The discussion, led in a Poldershop format by the Dutch Ombudsman, focused primarily on the situation in Southern European countries. Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise introduced Estonia’s experience in protecting the EU’s eastern border and the challenges in ensuring asylum rights, particularly in the context of hybrid attacks.

The CHR, as the body that monitors the implementation of the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, was pleased to receive information about the opening of public consultations on the Government's draft law on personal assistance for persons with disabilities. At the same time, the Commissioner draws the attention of the Minister to the issues which appear to be crucial to the draft law and which require a broader analysis.

The assistance service will range from 30 to 240 hours monthly for persons over 18 years old, and from 30 to 80 hours for persons between 13 and 18 years old. It seems that this will be insufficient for some beneficiaries. This means an average of about 8.5 hours per day. Some people with disabilities may require 24-hour support.

It is also questionable to differentiate the situation of 13 to 18 year olds compared to adults. The granting of personal assistance to minors will be on the basis of a detailed disability certificate. Their eligibility for assistance is based on a system that does not allow for precise matching of assistance. The number of hours of assistance is clearly unsatisfactory: a person aged between 13 and 18 will be able to benefit from a maximum of 20 hours per week and less than three hours per day. 

The Commissioner highlights the need for a reform of the disability assessment system for benefits and non-benefit purposes. At present, there are seven different systems for assessing disability. To this day, efforts to unify the system have not been successfully implemented.

The restriction of personal assistance to people under 65 needs to be reconsidered. This is based on the stereotypical assumption that older people do not remain in employment or return to the labour market. The age limit should not be a caesura for the availability of personal assistance services. The age limit introduced should take into account other measures to support older people.

According to the draft, an assistant to a person with a disability will not have to demonstrate experience and will meet one of the requirements for assistants, who will also be recruited by implementers after six months of work.

The CHR is concerned about allowing people without ‘any particular experience’ to provide assistants. While confidence in the assistant is crucial, this must not completely overshadow the substantive preparation of the assistant to provide the service. If people who are completely untrained are admitted, it is impossible to foresee the scale and magnitude of the potential consequences, which may endanger health and life and distort the institution of personal assistance.

In addition, the draft law does not provide for the possibility for a person with a disability to submit an application in a non-digital form. Complaints to the CHR indicate that the inability to submit a paper application is a challenge for some persons with disabilities, especially given the need for digital literacy and authentication tools such as a trusted profile.

CHR Marcin Wiącek asks the Minister to take these comments into account in his work on the project. He also requests to be informed about further actions and decisions taken.

https://bip.brpo.gov.pl/pl/content/rpo-projekt-asystencji-osobistej-opinia-mrpips

On 5 and 6 February 2025, Deputy Ombudsman Ivan Šelih, head of the National Preventive Mechanism in Slovenia (DPM), attended a workshop in Strasbourg, France, entitled Tackling overcrowding in European prisons: strengthening NPMs' role in safeguarding rights and ensuring effective oversight.

The aim of the workshop was to strengthen the effectiveness of NPMs to improve supervision, advocate systemic reforms, and ensure compliance with international and Council of Europe standards, including the revised European Prison Rules and CPT recommendations. It was organised by the Council of Europe as part of the European NPM Forum and was attended by more than 80 participants representing European NPMs, criminal justice experts, policymakers, and other stakeholders.

The event participants agreed that prison overcrowding remains a significant human rights challenge across Europe, undermining the dignity and well-being of imprisoned persons and seriously hampering the effective work of NPMs. It is the main cause of poor prison conditions worldwide and probably the most pressing challenge facing prison systems.

Deputy Ombudsman Šelih pointed out in the discussion that the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Slovenia (Ombudsman) has also been experiencing increasing overcrowding in recent years when dealing with the complaints of imprisoned persons and during visits to Prison Service Institutions (ZPKZ) and their departments in the role of NPM. Overcrowding, in addition to the growing shortage of prison officers, also has a significant impact on the length of criminal proceedings (for example due to the cancellation of escorts) and consequently on the duration and occupation of detention, as well as on the security and living conditions of convicts. The consequences of overcrowding in the prison system are also manifested in other ways. They can affect the maintenance of order and discipline, the treatment of incarcerated persons, the exercise of their rights, etc., all of which can lead to humiliating and inhuman conditions for incarcerated persons on the one hand, and to inadequate working conditions and burdens for employees on the other.

Therefore, it is imperative that the competent state authorities ensure that everyone who is deprived of their liberty is guaranteed humane treatment and respect for their dignity, and that the deprivation of liberty is a measure of last resort, which should be determined and used only when, due to the gravity of the crime, a different sanction would be clearly inappropriate. In order to improve the situation, structural changes are also necessary to prevent further disproportionate growth in the number of imprisoned persons, including greater use of so-called alternative criminal sanctions, and the worst and also the most expensive way for the state to solve the problem of overcrowding is the construction of new institutions for serving prison sentences with the aim of increasing the capacity to house imprisoned persons, the head of the NPM in Slovenia, Deputy Ombudsman Ivan Šelih, emphasised.

The Parliamentary Ombudsman, Judge Emeritus Joseph Zammit McKeon, visited the UNHCR Malta offices in Ta` Xbiex following an invitation for a briefing session aimed at discussing the Ombudsman’s recent proposal to broaden the remit of the Office to include the promotion and protection of human rights. The new Ombudsman Bill as proposed seeks to align the Office of the Ombudsman with the Paris Principles of the United Nations and consequently qualify to become the National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) for Malta. The meeting also provided an insight on the work and initiatives undertaken by UNHCR Representation to Malta with a view to explore and develop areas of mutual collaboration.

In her opening remarks, Ms Parvina Munovarova, Associate Protection Officer at UNHCR Malta, expressed the organisation`s positive response to the proposal and voiced hope that the Government would support the initiative to extend the Ombudsman’s mandate to include the promotion and protection of human rights. Ms Munovarova commended the Ombudsman’s efforts, noting that they align with UNHCR Representation to Malta`s mission to uphold and strengthen human rights protections in Malta.

Ms Munovarova provided an overview of UNHCR Representation to Malta’s key activities and priorities, noting that as of June 2024, Malta hosted 6,272 refugees and subsidiary protection holders and issued temporary protection to 2,955 Ukrainian citizens, the majority of them, around 2500, are still living in Malta.. UNHCR Representation to Malta’s work focuses on safeguarding the rights and well-being of asylum-seekers, refugees, subsidiary and temporary protection status holders and stateless people.  A key part of its  mandate involves monitoring access to territory, asylum and reception conditions, ensuring individuals in need of protection are treated in accordance with international standards.

UNHCR also plays a critical role in advocating for a protection-sensitive asylum system, promoting inclusive policies  that respect the dignity of forcibly displaced and stateless persons while ensuring fair and efficient procedures. UNHCR actively strives to strengthen the capacities of government bodies and partner agencies, offering  technical and legal expertise to improve the effectiveness of national asylum processes.  In addition to immediate protection measures, UNHCR is committed to promoting and seeking  durable solutions for refugees and stateless persons with a strong focus on local integration as a sustainable pathway for those settling in Malta. Recognising the importance of societal inclusion, UNHCR places a high priority on raising public awareness about asylum and refugee issues, fostering greater understanding and empathy within Maltese society.

Ms Munovarova highlighted the fruitful cooperation with the Government of Malta and on-going collaboration. She also elaborated on some challenges   encountered, including access to effective remedy in the context of applying accelerated procedures, reception and detention conditions,  access to education for some children, elderly refugees’ access to active ageing services, and family reunification possibility for subsidiary protection status holders.  . She stressed the importance of proactive engagement and coordination with the Government and relevant authorities to address these concerns and improve opportunities for local integration and self-reliance.

In his closing remarks, the Ombudsman expressed appreciation for the invaluable work carried out by UNHCR in its day-to-day activities. He reaffirmed that the Office of the Ombudsman is accessible to all persons, including those seeking protection, should they feel aggrieved by acts or omissions of the public service and/or the public administration. The Ombudsman also welcomed continued collaboration with UNHCR Representation to Malta and NGOs working in the field of migration and asylum.

Ms Marcelle Bugre Zanya, Associate Durable Solutions Officer, and Mr Joseph Meli, Assistant Communications Officer, from UNHCR Representation to Malta, as well as Mr Paul Borg, Director General, and Mr Jurgen Cassar, Head of Communications and Research, from the Office of the Ombudsman, were also present for the meeting.