IOI Ombudsman News 49/2016

On violations of human rights, people tend to turn to the prosecutor's office, the police, or the media but not to non-governmental organisations. Although the general public is less confident in Lithuanian human rights bodies, confidence in the Seimas Ombudsmen's Office has almost doubled in recent years, according to the representative public poll’s survey.

Although confidence in Lithuanian human rights agencies is slight, faith in the Seimas Ombudsmen's Office has risen from 3.4 percent in 2015 to 6.3 percent this year. The survey revealed that the police and prosecutor’s office (19.5 percent) and courts (10.5 percent) were most trusted while the Consumer Protection Agency (1.6 percent) and the State Labour Inspectorate (1.6 percent) suffered the lowest confidence of the respondents.

According to information obtained from the representative public poll, conducted by the Public Opinion and Research Centre ‘Vilmorus’ at the request of the Seimas Ombudsperson's Office, people tend to trust the media more (12.5 percent) than non-governmental organisations (8 percent).

However, the percentage of those seeking help increased significantly (49.2 percent) in 2016 while as many as 84.9 percent of respondents whose rights were violated did not ask for help previous year.

The polls showed that more than half of the population would know where to find support (52,6 percent) if their rights were violated. This number was higher in 2015 (59.7 percent) and 2014 (54 percent). However, the percentage of those who knew where to turn when their rights were violated was at a record low – just 27.9 percent in 2013.

The number of people whose rights were violated in municipal and governmental institutions decreased this year (12.3 percent) compared to 16 percent in 2015, 18 percent in 2014, and 20 percent in 2013.

The survey was conducted in November, 2016, and revealed that the number of people aware that the Seimas Ombudsmen protected human rights remained almost the same in 2016 (42.5 percent) as it was 43.2 percent in 2015. However, it significantly increased in comparison with earlier years, when the numbers were extremely low: 34.5 percent in 2013 and just 24.3 percent in 2012.

However, the percentage of those who were unaware that the Seimas Ombudsmen's Office defended human rights was still high – 57.5 percent in 2016 and 56.0 percent in 2015.

The survey showed that older persons (66.9 percent), the unemployed (60.5 percent), people without a secondary education (67.5 percent), and retirees (61. 5 percent) were among those who did not know where to turn if their rights were violated.

Each year, the Seimas Ombudsmen Office does a survey investigating if Lithuanians have enough information about who may help them when their rights are denied.

The Seimas Ombudsmen defend the human right to good public administration, which ensures human rights and freedoms and oversees public authorities to ensure they comply with their duty to adequately serve the people. The Parliamentary Ombudsmen also carry out national prevention of torture at detention facilities under the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
 

Le 7 décembre 2016, le Défenseur des droits, Jacques Toubon, remettra le Prix de thèse 2016 du Défenseur des droits à Mme Lola Isidro, pour sa thèse intitulée « L’étranger et la protection sociale ».

Pour la deuxième année consécutive, le Défenseur des droits remettra son Prix de thèse, qui distinguera le travail de recherche de Mme Lola Isidro intitulé « L’étranger et la protection sociale », conduit sous la direction du Professeur Cyril Wolmark, de l’Université Paris-Ouest-Nanterre-la-Défense.

Doté d’une valeur de 10 000 € le Prix de thèse du Défenseur des droits est destiné à encourager et développer les recherches universitaires susceptibles d’intéresser les domaines de compétences de l’institution (droits des usagers des services publics, défense des droits de l’enfant, lutte contre les discriminations, respect de la  déontologie de la sécurité), quelle que soit la discipline des sciences humaines et sociales concernée.

A l'issue d'une présentation de ses travaux par la lauréate, le Défenseur des droits, Jacques Toubon, remettra le prix à la lauréate à l'issue d'une présentation de ses travaux  en présence de Nathalie Bajos, directrice du Département de la promotion et de l’accès aux droits du Défenseur des droits.
 

Following a Scottish Government review of social work complaints, the complaints system will change from 1 April 2017.

The December 2016 update is the second in a series of bulletins from SPSO about changes to the social work complaints procedure.

It  includes information on the new complaints procedure, our extended role within social work complaints and next steps.
 

Rafael Ribó y M. Jesús Larios han presentado en comisión parlamentaria los dos informes editados este año sobre segregación escolar

Las pruebas de evaluación del sistema educativo (Competencias primaria y ESO, PISA, etc.) destacan las desigualdades en el rendimiento según el origen social en Cataluña


Un reparto más equilibrado beneficiaría los resultados académicos de todo el sistema
sindic
El síndic de greuges, Rafael Ribó, y la adjunta para la defensa de derechos de la infancia y adolescencia, M. Jesús Larios, han presentado este lunes 12 de diciembre en comisión parlamentaria los dos informes sobre segregación escolar elaborados este año. El primero aborda la admisión del alumnado y el segundo analiza qué características de los centros motivan que algunos de ellos tengan más demanda que otros y que atraigan a más familias con un perfil social determinado.

Rafael Ribó ha incidido en el hecho de que, a pesar de la mejora de resultados en el conjunto del sistema, "debemos observar con preocupación y autocrítica las carencias en equidad educativa y trabajar para garantizar un equilibrio mayor en la composición social de los centros".

Aunque los centros de alta complejidad han mejorado los resultados educativos en los últimos años, el Síndic defiende que esta mejora no ha ido acompañada de una reducción de la segregación. La investigación hecha a escala internacional sobre esta materia evidencia que la segregación perjudica los resultados académicos del alumnado socialmente más desfavorecido y que un equilibrio mayor en la composición social de los centros beneficia los resultados del sistema. Para continuar avanzando en este sentido, el Síndic reclama que se aborde decididamente el problema de la segregación.

Algunos aspectos que afecten a la equidad desde el momento de la misma admisión son las políticas de planificación escolar, las cuotas de material escolar y actividades complementarias, los desequilibrios en los proyectos educativos de los centros, etc.