When 14 July 2022

Where Brussels, Belgium

Organised By European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE)

External event

On 14 July, FRA Director Michael O’Flaherty will present the Fundamental Rights Report 2022 to the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE).

The report reviews major developments in the field in 2021, identifying both achievements and areas of concern. It also presents FRA’s opinions on these developments, including a synopsis of the evidence supporting these opinions.

l Defensor del Pueblo, Ángel Gabilondo, ha sido entrevistado por Aimar Bretos en el programa de la Cadena SER, Hora 25. Gran parte de su intervención se ha centrado en explicar la labor iniciada por la institución del Defensor del Pueblo acerca de la encomienda del Congreso de los Diputados para elaborar un informe sobre abusos sexuales en el ámbito de la Iglesia católica.           

Siempre con las víctimas

Ángel Gabilondo aseguró que para la institución “es vital el testimonio de las víctimas, escucharlas. Sobre él se construye la verdad, la justicia y la reparación”. En este sentido, señaló que “cualquier cosa que haya que hacer debe sostenerse en el testimonio de las víctimas”.

Además, apuntó que no se debe “estandarizar a las víctimas” y abogó por dar a cada una su “propio tiempo”. “Son experiencias únicas y no nos queremos dar prisa, se tomará el tiempo que haga falta”.

Gabilondo afirmó que, aunque el objetivo es hacer un informe, no quiere que “la conversación con las víctimas sea un trabajo de campo. Ellas tienen un sentido de su experiencia y tiene que ser un proceso de reparación”. Por ello, apuntó que podría optar por hacer un informe como una tesis, pero “la razón de nuestro informe va a ser el testimonio de las víctimas y de las asociaciones que han hecho un gran trabajo”. 

Inicio de la encomienda

El Defensor se mostró satisfecho con la respuesta que está teniendo en el inicio de este trabajo y apuntó que “hay que generar confianza y esa confianza hay que merecerla”.

El Defensor recordó las vías para contactar con la institución y destacó que a todos los que se dirigen a ella se les garantizará el anonimato, la privacidad y declaraciones en un clima de confianza. “Todos los datos van cifrados y no podemos jugar con algo tan sagrado para ellas”.

Gabilondo puso en valor al grupo de expertos y expertas que forman la Comisión Asesora asegurando que es una comisión “abierta y plural” que aboga por una escucha rigurosa y por poner a las víctimas en el centro.

También se refirió a la colaboración con la Iglesia, destacando que está “empeñado” en que toda la sociedad colabore. En este sentido aseguró que respeta que la Iglesia no participe en la Comisión de Investigación pero espera que colabore, y  que si no lo hace asegura que así lo expondrá en su informe.

El Defensor también habló sobre la actuación que está realizando la institución tras los trágicos sucesos acaecidos en el perímetro fronterizo de Melilla el pasado 24 de junio. Ángel Gabilondo lamentó la pérdida de vidas humanas y reveló que está barajando la posibilidad de viajar a Melilla próximamente.

Puedes escuchar la entrevista aquí

The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović participated today in the inauguration of the ‘Mother’s Scarf’ art installation initiated by the Mothers of Srebrenica, as part of the Srebrenica Heroines Initiative, and issued the following statement:

“As we honour the memory of the lost and recognise the suffering of the victims and survivors, we are gathered here in Potocari to inaugurate an art installation of high significance.

These scarves and shawls are not mere pieces of fabric.

They are a symbol of resistance that represents the relentless battle for truth and justice carried out by the Mothers of Srebrenica for the last 27 years.

The knots tying the scarves and shawls symbolise togetherness. They emphasise the solidarity between women in the face of egregious human rights violations.  The thousands of scarves collected are a testament to the wide network of support knitted by the Mothers on their journey for justice.

These scarves and shawls transcend any particular group or interpretation. Some have been passed down from mothers and grandmothers, some were worn by survivors as they were escaping atrocities or while they laid their loved ones to rest, others have been donated as a gesture of respect and compassion.

They symbolise grief linking the present and the past, while looking into the future. They are a tribute to the dedication of the Mothers to never give in to hate and to open a path for young generations to live peacefully together, while ensuring that the truth is recognised and the memory of the victims is kept alive.

The Mothers’ fight should inspire us all. It is crucial that their call for justice be heard and that we join our forces to counter the deeply rooted culture of genocide denial. Hate speech, genocide denial and glorification of war criminals - which have regrettably intensified these last days in Srebrenica, should be met with condemnation.  

That this living installation will grow each year, as it travels throughout the region and around the world, is a recognition of the Mother’s fight, and of their courage and perseverance.

Let’s hope this exhibition will help ensure that the message of the Mothers is shared by a growing number of people, cities, and countries across the world, and that they too choose to stand for justice and for the values of equality, respect, diversity and inclusion.”

The Commissioner is in Srebrenica from 9 to 11 July to participate in the Srebrenica Heroines international conference organised by the Movement of Mothers of Srebrenica and Zepa, the Post-Conflict Research Center and the Srebrenica Memorial Centre. She will take part in the discussion focusing on memorialisation and the role of Mothers. On 11 July 2022, the Commissioner will attend the commemoration of the 27th anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide.

The small number of forced returns and the constant detention of third country nationals in police detention cells instead of Pre-removal centres, are stressed in the Greek Ombudsman’s Special report on Returns in 2021.

Children are all too often being robbed of the chance to fulfil their potential, because some councils are not putting in place alternative education when they need it.

If children cannot attend school for whatever reason, councils have a legal duty to assess the situation and decide if they must provide them with alternative education. But in nearly 90% of the complaints the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman investigates, it finds something went wrong in how this should happen.

Many of the cases the Ombudsman investigates involve children with complex special educational needs, but the organisation is seeing increasing numbers of children unable to attend school because of social anxiety – or simply because there are no school places available in the area.

Cases in the report include a child who was provided with just five hours a week online tuition in English and maths for a year, without any consideration of how this might allow him to study all his GSCE subjects.  In another case, a teenager was without a school place for nearly 14 months after moving to an area mid-term, as there were no local spaces for her.

Michael King, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said:

“Time and again we see children being robbed of their potential to thrive because councils have not acted properly.

“We know getting an alternative education set up as soon as possible is crucial to ensure children do not fall behind their peers, but we see examples of councils trying to and pass the buck, saying it is the school’s responsibility. 

“Parents need to know this isn’t right. Councils have a legal obligation to properly consider what alternative education is provided when a child cannot attend school, and it must be suitable to the child – not a token gesture of the minimum hours. We would encourage parents raise their concerns with their council as soon as they can if this does not happen.”

The Ombudsman’s report is designed to help councils analyse their own alternative provision and see where improvements might be made. It offers questions local councillors can use to challenge their authorities to ensure children in their wards are provided with the best possible education and opportunities available.

Parents have a duty to ensure their children receive a suitable, full-time education and most do this by sending their children to school. However, the law says councils must make arrangements to provide suitable education for children who cannot receive education because of illness, exclusion or otherwise.

Article date: 07 July 2022