Speech by Michael O'Flaherty, "Paths of Memory and Action: Preserving the Past, Protecting the Future", delivered at the event dedicated to the remembrance of the Holocaust and the prevention of crimes against humanity organised by Regards d’enfants in partnership with the Municipality of Rothau and the European Centre of Deported Resistance Members, Rothau, France

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear organisers, teachers, children, young people,

We gather today in Rothau – a place that bears witness.

A place where the shadows of history are tangible, where human beings torn from their homes and families were forced along the path to Struthof – a place where cruelty sought to strip away dignity, where atrocities committed under the guise of science and forced labour stole life.

Many were intended to vanish in secret, their resistance erased from memory.

Yet they are not forgotten. Here, in Rothau, their memory is entrusted – among all of us – to children, to young people. They have created the Memory and Human Rights Garden, a living testament to the victims, a declaration that memory is alive.

Today, we remember the genocide of six million Jews and 500 000 Roma and Sinti, and all victims of Nazi persecution.

But Holocaust remembrance is not only a lesson of the past; it is a foundation for protecting human rights, for defending democracy, for safeguarding the rule of law today and for building the future of generations to come. It is the bedrock on which the institution I represent rests.

It is also a commitment to confront, with courage and hope, the challenges our societies continue to face today. Through reflection, initiative, creativity and teaching – standing firm against hatred, honouring the promise that such crimes will never be repeated, and preserving our shared humanity.

To the children and young people here today: memory endures only if you, and others like you, keep carrying it forward – not as a burden, but as a continued commitment to dignity, to justice, and to the refusal of hatred in all its forms. Your participation matters. Your voices matter.

We are inspired by your dedication as ambassadors – of memory and humanity.

By remembering here, we join in charting a different path forward, guided by memory and responsibility – toward a future where equal rights and dignity are respected for all.

Thank you.

Dear Minister Fitiris, dear Ministers, dear colleagues,

I wish to take the opportunity to thank the Cypriot presidency for the invitation to attend today, to congratulate you on your presidency programme, and to wish you well for the coming six months. 

In my intervention, I will address three aspects, which are underpinned by the rights of the child in EU and international law, and specific provisions – such as the EU Directive on safeguards for children who are suspects or accused persons in criminal proceedings. 

Firstly, on the use of alternative measures to criminal detention. 

As the discussion paper indicates, alternative measures to detention exist in all Member States. Symptomatic of the overuse of detention measures is overcrowding in detention facilities, as identified in our research – which impacts on access to services. FRA’s regularly updated criminal detention database shows that access to healthcare in prisons is generally insufficient across all Member States. The situation does not seem to be better in police custody. Several children who were interviewed for FRA’s research on the procedural rights of children in criminal proceedings mentioned difficulties in accessing regular medications, or a lack of care for alcohol intoxication or drug-related withdrawal symptoms while in police custody. Therefore, when a child or young person is detained and their right to access to healthcare is hampered, an opportunity could be missed to identify drug addiction and to divert that child or young person to an appropriate treatment program.

This brings me to my second point; that is the need for a wide range of non-custodial measures, provided for in law.

To begin on a positive note, FRA’s research shows that, in general, detention of children suspected or accused of crime is generally treated as a measure of last resort in Member States. Alternative measures are usually prioritised. At the same time, the evidence shows that children from ethnic minority and migrant backgrounds, or from disadvantaged family and social environments, are generally more likely to be detained.    

And while, in general, alternative measures are prioritised in the case of child defendants, FRA’s research identifies one particular barrier in practice – which is an insufficient range of non-custodial measures foreseen in national law. The Agency undertook 220 interviews with various justice actors, and members of the judiciary indicated that they often only had two options at their disposal: the lightest possible measure (such as placing a child under supervision of a responsible adult) or detention. There was little middle ground. Therefore, it is important for the national authorities to ensure that the applicable law provides for a range of non-custodial measures.  

My third point relates to the tools that our justice actors have at their disposal to detect possible drug use by a child defendant. The EU Directive on procedural safeguards for children who are suspects or accused persons in criminal proceedings gives a child defendant the right to a thorough individual assessment, conducted by an interdisciplinary team of experts as early as possible in the criminal proceedings. In practice, however, our research shows that such assessments are often not carried out promptly. Various justice professionals interviewed by FRA reported that they sometimes had to choose between conducting a thorough assessment and delivering that assessment quickly. Thorough and timely assessments are crucial for early detection of possible drug use by a child defendant and a subsequent treatment plan. When such an assessment lacks the necessary quality and timeliness, the ultimate objective is lost.  

To conclude, allow me to say that FRA stands ready to support Member States with our expertise and evidence on promising practices, as these discussions progress.

Thank you. 

Le Médiateur de la Wallonie et de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, Nicolas LAGASSE, et le Délégué général aux droits de l’enfant, Soleyman LAQDIM, accompagnés de membres de leurs équipes respectives, se sont rencontrés le 8 janvier, lors d’un échange convivial organisé dans les locaux bruxellois du Médiateur.

Cette rencontre avait pour objectif de permettre aux deux institutions de mieux se connaître, de partager leurs missions, leurs modes de fonctionnement et d’identifier les nombreux points communs qui les rapprochent.

Malgré des compétences et des mandats distincts, les échanges ont mis en évidence des connexions évidentes, tant dans la gestion institutionnelle que dans le traitement des dossiers et des interpellations reçues.

Les discussions ont également porté sur les synergies et pistes de collaboration possibles, notamment en matière d’échanges de bonnes pratiques, de concertation sur des situations complexes et de réflexions communes autour des problématiques rencontrées sur le terrain. Quelles que soient les matières concernées, les difficultés soulevées ou les demandes adressées aux deux institutions, l’intérêt supérieur de l’enfant constitue un fil conducteur partagé.

Cette première rencontre marque une étape importante dans le renforcement des liens entre le Médiateur et le Délégué général aux droits de l’enfant. Elle ouvre la voie à de futures collaborations et à un dialogue régulier entre les équipes, dans un esprit de complémentarité, au service des enfants, des jeunes et de leurs droits.

Concepción Gimeno ha recorrido las instalaciones del colegio, se ha reunido con las familias y con las mujeres del proyecto textil ‘Hilvana’ y ha sido entrevistada en ‘Radio Ramiro’ por los alumnos de sexto de Primaria

La justicia de Aragón, Concepción Gimeno, ha visitado el Colegio de Educación Infantil y Primaria “Ramiro Soláns” de Zaragoza. El centro recibió por parte de la institución el pasado 20 de diciembre el Diploma por los Servicios Prestados a Aragón en reconocimiento a su extraordinaria contribución a la educación, su destacado impacto social, su capacidad transformadora y su firme compromiso con los valores de justicia social, equidad e inclusión.

A este colegio del barrio Oliver de la capital aragonesa acuden 364 escolares, en su mayoría migrantes y de etnia gitana. En la última década y tras más de veinte años de esfuerzo continuado en favor de la integración de las diferentes culturas que conviven en el barrio, el centro se ha convertido en un referente a nivel nacional, distinguido con numerosos reconocimientos, como el Princesa de Girona, que recibirá próximamente.

La justicia de Aragón ha tenido oportunidad de conversar con los padres y madres del consejo escolar, quienes le han trasladado la acogida individualizada que el centro hace a los alumnos, la escucha permanente a sus necesidades y a las de sus familias, la importancia de trabajar las emociones en cada gesto, el respeto a las diferencias, así como la enseñanza por proyectos, que permite prescindir de los libros para que la compra de material no se convierta en una barrera de acceso a la educación.

Desde esta filosofía, el colegio se ha convertido en un referente en el barrio. “La educación ha traspasado los muros”, ha señalado su directora, Rosa Llorente, quien ha acompañado a la justicia en su visita junto con la jefa de estudios, Amparo Jiménez, y la secretaria, Celia Mallada.

A la reunión con los padres y madres ha seguido un recorrido por las aulas del colegio que, en los últimos años, ha ido reformándose para adaptarse a las necesidades de un alumnado creciente y diverso y a 35 docentes, maestros y maestras, que han elegido el centro para desarrollar su carrera, conscientes de que es un proyecto que trasciende lo educativo.

Para las familias, el Ramiro Soláns organiza actividades de acompañamiento como clases de español dos veces a la semana o el proyecto textil “Hilvana”. Este último reúne a un numeroso grupo de madres de procedencias distintas en torno a unas clases de costura que, además de enseñar un oficio, ayudan a establecer sólidos vínculos entre mujeres que trascienden la escuela.

Tras la visita, Concepción Gimeno ha denominado al colegio como “la casa de la esperanza” y lo ha considerado un modelo para el resto de centros. En este sentido, ha animado a su equipo directivo a compartir el camino recorrido con otros colegios.

The Human Rights Ombudsman (Ombudsman) has stated, in relation to interventions in cash social assistance benefits implemented on the basis of the so-called Šutar Act, that he had already warned during the legislative process that this law involves extensive and substantively sensitive interventions in human rights, which should be considered with greater care, through expert and public debate and with a clear assessment of their effects on individuals and communities. We have particularly emphasized the importance of the principles of the rule of law, legal certainty, proportionality of measures, and respect for human dignity, including in the field of social security. 

The Ombudsman has already received several initiatives and calls from individuals from different parts of Slovenia regarding interventions in cash social assistance. Immediately after becoming familiar with the individual, very different cases from practice, the Ombudsman contacted the Ministry of Labor, Family, Social Affairs, and Equal Opportunities and requested clarification regarding the implementation of the law and the safeguards provided for beneficiaries. Under the Human Rights Ombudsman Act, he is required to conduct proceedings impartially and, in all cases, to obtain the views of all parties concerned.

Based on what is known so far, the Ombudsman considers that (apart from certain systemic issues) the important question is the implementation of the law in practice, as the information indicates that the second paragraph of Article 8 of the Act on Urgent Measures to Ensure Public Safety. This expressly stipulates that the FURS, which issues a decision on the enforcement of social assistance benefits, must notify the local social work center, which then assesses whether the circumstances require that the social assistance be paid to the beneficiary in kind, as it is crucial to prevent any life-threatening hardship for individuals.

Based on the responses from the FURS that have been made public so far, the Ombudsman understands that the FURS did not have information about which debtors are recipients of cash social assistance, nor which social work center is locally competent in each case. This raises the serious question of how the implementation of the law was planned in the first place, as the statements indicate that the legal provisions could not be enforced in practice. The Ombudsman does not yet know why this situation arose, and this will also be the subject of further consideration.

The FURS also reports that it has notified the competent ministry of the lists of decisions issued. How the latter dealt with this is one of the questions that the Ombudsman asked the MDDSZ in its inquiry.

The Ombudsman emphasizes that it is unacceptable to wait until after the law has come into force to consider how to ensure adequate information and cooperation between the competent authorities in the future. When drafting and adopting legislation, it should be clear in advance how the law will be implemented, who will have the necessary information, and how effective safeguards will be ensured to protect individuals and families. Considering these issues only after the law has come into force represents a serious departure from the principles of the rule of law and legal certainty.

The establishment of new legislation requires comprehensive consideration of all possible life situations and, above all, an assessment of whether the objective pursued can be achieved by more balanced and proportionate measures that do not interfere with the very essence of the right to social security. The measures must not only be normatively defined, but also actually feasible and coordinated between all competent authorities.

At the same time, the question of the possible retroactive application of the law arises, which requires particularly careful and thorough consideration. The Ombudsman emphasizes that, even when implementing existing legislation, all authorities are obliged to act in accordance with the Constitution and the fundamental principles of human rights protection. Interference with the right to social security must not be automatic, but must be based on an individual assessment of the specific situation of the individual and his or her family, with the actual participation of social work centers and consistent consideration of the minimum subsistence level.

The purpose of social legislation must remain the protection of the most vulnerable, as this is the very foundation of the welfare state. Those who abuse the system must be sanctioned, but not in a way that simultaneously affects people in the most difficult social situations or jeopardizes basic living conditions. Children are a particularly protected group, and measures that result in them bearing the consequences of adults' actions raise serious questions of proportionality, the protection of human dignity, and the right to social security. Punishment must not have collective effects and must not affect those who are not responsible for the violation.