El Defensor del Pueblo, Ángel Gabilondo, ha participado este lunes en la sede del Consejo General del Poder Judicial en la entrega del XIX Premio del Observatorio contra la Violencia Doméstica y de Género, que ha presidido Isabel Perelló, presidenta del Tribunal Supremo y del Consejo General del Poder Judicial.

El Defensor del Pueblo, el ministro del Interior y el fiscal general del Estado han sido los encargados de entregar el premio a la presidenta de la Fundación Mujeres, Elena Valenciano. Esta fundación ha sido premiada por sus más de 20 años realizando proyectos orientados a la protección de las víctimas y, en particular, de los menores huérfanos por violencia machista.

En esta edición también ha sido galardonada la víctima de violencia de género, Emma Larreta, por sus proyectos de educación y sensibilización contra la violencia de género: InVISIBLES o Bidean.

Asimismo, la fundadora de la Asociación de Mujeres Separadas y Divorciadas, Ana María Pérez del Campo ha recibido la mención especial “Soledad Cazorla, fiscal”, por su labor como activista pionera en la lucha por los derechos de las mujeres durante la dictadura y la transición.

Al acto, que ha sido clausurado por la presidenta del Tribunal Supremo y del Consejo General del Poder Judicial, Isabel Perelló, también han asistido la adjunta primera del Defensor del Pueblo, Teresa Jiménez-Becerril , y la adjunta segunda, Patricia Bárcena.

Ombudsman Ger Deering has today, [Thursday 5 June,] published a report of his investigation into the Housing Assistance Payment scheme (HAP). The Ombudsman acknowledged that the scheme works well for many people. However, his investigation found inconsistencies in how the scheme is operated by local authorities, delays in some applications being processed, and inequities between how HAP tenants and social housing tenants are treated.

The Ombudsman’s report contains a number of recommendations to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage aimed at addressing the issues he found with the administration of the scheme. The Ombudsman said that he will now follow up with the Department on the recommendations and will seek progress updates on their implementation.

HAP is a payment made directly to a landlord on behalf of a household that is deemed in need of social housing support. The maximum HAP that can be paid (‘the HAP cap’) varies depending on the size of the household and the local authority area involved. Local authorities have discretion to increase the payment by up to 35% in certain circumstances. However, due to rising rent costs, for many people, HAP no longer covers the cost of renting, and most households in the scheme must pay the landlord the difference between the HAP cap and the actual cost of renting, in addition to paying rent to the local authority.

The Ombudsman Ger Deering said:

“HAP provides vital support for people to access private rented accommodation. However, some people are being disadvantaged by the current system. The recommendations in my report are designed to bring positive changes to the lives of those who are seeking homes for themselves and their families, and will help ensure the administration of the HAP scheme is more customer focused.”

The Ombudsman’s report identified a number of issues with the scheme including:

• A significant amount of duplication between the application process for social housing support and the application process for HAP. Much of the same documentation is needed to apply for both. In addition, a separate application must be made for each scheme despite the fact that approval for social housing support automatically entitles a household to HAP.
• Due to delays in processing some applications for HAP, there can be a significant difference between the date the application is made, and the date the application is validated and payment starts. In the meantime, the applicant may have lost out on the property due to the delay. The Ombudsman said that where an applicant has been approved for social housing support they should be entitled to payment from the date their tenancy starts.
• The Ombudsman found that applicants are not always given clear information about the different aspects of the HAP scheme including the amount of rent that the tenant will pay and the discretionary increase that may be available.

A Summary of the Ombudsman’s report including his findings and recommendations is available here. The full report with detailed background information is also available on the Ombudsman’s website.

END

El Defensor del Pueblo, Ángel Gabilondo, ha mantenido este jueves un encuentro con una delegación de jueces de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires que se encuentran de visita en España para asistir al V Congreso Mundial de Justicia con la Infancia.

Este Congreso, que se celebró del 2 al 4 de junio en la Universidad Pontificia Comillas de Madrid, tenía como objetivo consensuar una declaración internacional que impulse medidas concretas para una justicia adaptada a la infancia en la agenda 2030 para el Desarrollo Sostenible. El Congreso contó con el patrocinio del Consejo de Europa, con la colaboración de UNICEF, UNESCO, OCDE, así como con el apoyo del Ministerio de Juventud e Infancia.

En la reunión estuvieron presentes Isabella Karina Leguizamón, presidenta del Consejo de la Magistratura de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires; Javier Alejandro Bujan, presidente de la Cámara de Casación y Apelaciones en lo Penal; Gonzalo E. D. Viña, vicepresidente 1° de la Cámara de Casación y Apelaciones en lo Penal; Bárbara Moramarco, jueza titular del Juzgado Penal Juvenil, y Romina Furio, secretaria letrada especializada en Infancias y Adolescencias.

Por parte de la institución asistieron al encuentro el secretario general, José Manuel Sánchez Saudinós; la directora del Gabinete del Defensor del Pueblo, Isabel Aymerich, y el director del Área de Seguridad y Justicia, Andrés Jiménez.

Los juristas argentinos se han reunido, además, con representantes del Consejo General del Poder Judicial y del Tribunal Supremo. Asimismo, la delegación fue recibida por el Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Canarias y visitó los Juzgados de Violencia contra la Infancia y Adolescencia.

The Parliamentary Ombudsman, Judge Joseph Zammit McKeon, is currently participating in a high-level international workshop on “Global Network on National Human Rights Action Planning: Uncovering 30 Years of NHRAPing – Lessons from the Five Continents.” The event is being hosted by the School of Law and Social Justice at the University of Liverpool and brings together a distinguished group of global experts in human rights, including representatives from national governments, international institutions, national human rights institutions (NHRIs), academic institutions, and civil society.

National Human Rights Action Plans (NHRAPs) have played a vital role over the past three decades in giving effect to international human rights commitments within national frameworks. Recognised by the United Nations General Assembly as a cornerstone of effective human rights implementation, over 155 NHRAPs have been adopted in more than 80 countries worldwide.

This three-day workshop marks the largest international gathering focused on NHRAPs to date. It is intended not only as an occasion to reflect on thirty years of national human rights planning across all world regions, but also as the foundation for a lasting global network of stakeholders. Discussions throughout the workshop span a wide range of themes, including the origins and development of NHRAPs, regional experiences from Europe, Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, and the digitalisation of human rights action planning.

Judge Zammit McKeon is contributing to the session dedicated to the role of National Human Rights Institutions in advancing and sustaining NHRAPs. He is delivering a presentation entitled “Having a National Human Rights Institution: The Malta Experience,” in which he outlines Malta’s current position as one of the few EU Member States without a recognised NHRI. Drawing from the Ombudsman’s ongoing advocacy for the establishment of an NHRI in Malta in accordance with the UN Paris Principles, Judge Zammit McKeon is sharing the Maltese experience as a case study in the broader conversation on institutional readiness and human rights planning.

The workshop, supported by key partners including the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), UNDP, and the Council of Europe, is facilitating a much-needed exchange of best practices, challenges, and strategies for strengthening national human rights systems. It also aims to build long-term collaboration among global actors committed to the realisation of human rights at the national level.

Speakers on the first day of the workshop included:

Professor Tim Jones, Vice Chancellor of the University of Liverpool; Professor Valsamis Mitsilegas, Dean of the School of Law and Social Justice; and Dr Azadeh Chalabi, Founder of the Network and Workshop Organiser.

Panel 1 – Origins, Developments and Evaluation of NHRAPing: 30 Years On was chaired by Sergey Dikman, Adviser on Strategic Co-operation Development at the Council of Europe. Speakers included Professor Michael O’Flaherty, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe; Mr Bill Barker, author of the UNOHCHR Handbook on NHRAPs; Mr David Johnson, former UNOHCHR Regional Representative and NHRAP Focal Point; Dr Stéphanie Lagoutte, Senior Researcher at the Danish Institute for Human Rights; and Dr Azadeh Chalabi, Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Liverpool.

Panel 2 – European Experience in NHRAPing I was chaired by Professor Padraig McAuliffe from the University of Liverpool. Speakers included Professor José García-Añón from the University of Valencia; Professor Maria Gavouneli and Dr Christos Tsevas from the Greek National Commission for Human Rights; Ms Anna Saarela and Ms Nanni Olsson from the Ministry of Justice, Finland; and Dr Jolita Miliuvienė, Parliamentary Ombudsperson of Lithuania.

Panel 3 – NHRAPing in Scotland: From A to Z was chaired by Dr Amanda Cahill-Ripley. Speakers included Dr Alison Hosie from the Scottish Human Rights Commission; Professor Jo Edson Ferrie from the University of Glasgow; Ms Clare MacGillivray from Making Rights Real, Scotland; Mr Charlie McMillan, Co-chair of SNAP 2 Leadership Panel; Ms Lucy Mulvagh from the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland; and discussant Mr Nick Bland, Deputy Director for Equality and Inclusion, Scottish Government.

Panel 4 – European Experience in NHRAPing II was chaired by Mr Vincent Hitabatuma from the Federal Institute for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights (Belgium). Speakers included Mr Michael Windfuhr from the German Institute for Human Rights; Ms Anne Dijkman, Ms Sanne Staaltjens and Dr Jan-Willem Rossem from the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights and the Ministry of Interior Affairs and Kingdom Relations; Dr Pietro de Perini and Professor Paolo De Stefani from the University of Padova; Ms Mariam Chiflikyan, Adviser to the Ministry of Justice of Armenia; Ms Kristin Høgdahl from the Norwegian Human Rights Institute; and Ms Melissa Wood from the Legislative Options Working Group (Wales).

The first day of the conference illustrated both the diversity and the shared challenges of national human rights action planning, providing a solid foundation for the global dialogue to continue over the coming sessions.

The Deputy Human Rights Ombudsman, Ivan Šelih, who is temporarily leading the institution of the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Slovenia until the election of a new ombudsman, visited the municipality of Podčetrtek on Tuesday, 3 June 2025. He and his colleagues met with citizens who had turned to the institution with their problems and questions on this occasion. He also met with the Mayor of the Municipality of Podčetrtek, Petar Misja, who gave him an overview of the operations and development of the municipality.

Mayor Peter Misja highlighted numerous projects with which the municipality is working to improve the quality of life of its residents. Deputy Ombudsman Šelih was very satisfied with the municipality's development direction and care for its residents, and assessed the conversation as very constructive.

On this occasion, the Deputy Ombudsman also opened the 115th Ombudsman's Corner. These corners are important because they allow residents to learn about the work of the Ombudsman in their own homes. With the help of printed materials, they can assess whether their problem is such that the Ombudsman institution can address it.

In a press statement, Deputy Ombudsman Šelih summarised the course of the day's proceedings and highlighted the main topics of the day. He stressed that the purpose of such proceedings is to be as close to people as possible and to provide them with support in exercising their rights. He also said that the topics of proceedings outside the institution's headquarters are mostly similar – they are related to the personal hardships of individuals. These problems are often related to social security, healthcare, housing conditions, legal protection, and access to public services.