News and events of the Ombudsman’s Office in May 2024 (information in links available in Latvian)

Video tutorial: “What to write in a submission?”

The Ombudsman has developed a short and up-to-date video tutorial on ‘What to write in a submission?’, which follows on from the video published in 2022 entitled ‘How to write a submission?’ to facilitate successful communication with different institutions and organisations.

At the request of the Ombudsman, the Parliament shall eliminate unequal treatment in the procedure for receipt of maintenance payments

The Ombudsman’s call has been successful and unequal treatment has been remedied. The members of the Saeima unanimously supported the amendments to the Maintenance Guarantee Fund Law – in practice, this means that as of 1 September, young people acquiring education abroad and whose declared place of residence is still in Latvia, will also receive maintenance from the state.

The inability to provide a school bus must not be replaced by a boarding school

In preparation for the next school year, the Ombudsman invites local governments to improve school transport services in the interests of children, considering the opinions and needs of residents and educational institutions. In Ombudsman’s opinion, living in boarding houses as an alternative solution is particularly unacceptable.

At the request of the Ombudsman, the SSIA will change the practice of granting social benefits to ‘forever children’

The Ombudsman’s call resulted in a favourable outcome for parents of ‘forever children’, who are most often their guardians receiving state social benefits for children with disabilities since childhood who have reached the age of majority. The State Social Insurance Agency (SSIA) agrees with the Ombudsman’s proposal and will change the current procedure for granting benefits.

Violations of ethics of Orphan’s and Custody Courts will be reviewed by the Ethics Committee of local governments 

Last year the Ombudsman launched initiative that a unified approach should be established in all local governments in the examination of violations of ethics of the Orphan’s and Custody Court. It has been successful: the members of the Saeima (Parliament) adopted amendments to the Law on Orphan’s and Custody Courts, which provide for the examination of complaints regarding violations of ethics of employees of Orphan’s and Custody Courts by an ethics committee of the relevant local government.

À l’occasion de la journée mondiale des lanceurs d’alerte, le Défenseur des droits rappelle l’importance du rôle des lanceurs d’alerte dans le fonctionnement de la démocratie ainsi que le devoir impérieux de les protéger.

Corruption, maltraitances, pollutions environnementales, risques sanitaires… autant d’atteintes à l’intérêt général qui sans le courage des lanceurs d’alerte pourraient perdurer en silence. 

Employeurs, autorités externes chargées du recueil des signalements, tous ont le devoir d’être mobilisés et à l’écoute des lanceurs d’alerte. 
Dans son rapport bisannuel sur la protection des lanceurs d’alerte à paraître en septembre, le Défenseur des droits fera le point sur les progrès accomplis dans le traitement des signalements, notamment au regard des efforts déployés par les 41 autorités désignées par les pouvoirs publics, nouveaux acteurs du droit de l’alerte (voir la liste dans le Guide du lanceur d'alerte).

De plus en plus fréquemment saisi, le Défenseur des droits œuvre à la prévention des représailles en certifiant les lanceurs d’alerte, ainsi qu’en luttant, aux côtés de ces derniers contre les discriminations dont ils font l’objet (consulter le rapport d'activité 2023 du Défenseur des droits).

En ce 23 juin 2024, Journée mondiale des lanceurs d’alerte, le Défenseur des droits souhaite également mettre en lumière les travaux de l’Association des ombudsmans et médiateurs de la Francophonie (AOMF), dont il est membre.  Afin de promouvoir des mécanismes robustes de protection des lanceurs d’alerte, l’AOMF vient en effet de se doter d’un Comité pour l’intégrité publique qui permettra aux institutions des pays membres de renforcer la saine gouvernance et l’intégrité des institutions étatiques.

À l’instar des activités conduites au sein du réseau NEIWA, cette nouvelle participation du Défenseur des droits aux réflexions internationales sur les lanceurs d’alerte, est un engagement supplémentaire de l’institution aux côtés de ceux dont la liberté d’expression est encore trop souvent menacée.

Equality, non-discrimination and racism

When 02 July 2024

Where Vilnius, Lithuania

Organised By ENNHRI

External event

FRA will take part in a meeting of the European Networks of NHRIs’ working group on economic, social and civil rights. The meeting takes place on 2 July in Vilnius.

The focus will be on barriers to access social care and social protection faced by vulnerable groups. It will cover women, children, the poor, Roma, people with disabilities, migrants and refugees, LGBTIQ+ people and older people.

- Este lunes, 1 de julio, a las 12 horas, el Defensor del Pueblo andaluz, junto con su personal, honraremos a las víctimas con un minuto de silencio ante la fachada de la Institución.

El Defensor del Pueblo Andaluz, Jesús Maeztu, ha mostrado su consternación y condena por los últimos casos de violencia de género que han elevado a seis las víctimas mortales, mujeres y niños.

El Defensor ha calificado de “extrema gravedad” estos hechos y ha hecho un llamamiento a toda la sociedad para acabar con esta violación de los derechos humanos. “Todos y todas juntos en la lucha y erradicación de las situaciones de violencia contra las mujeres y sus hijos. Ni una asesinada más es asumible. Ni un acto más de venganza contra sus hijos e hijas. Tampoco la situación en la que quedan los menores que pierden a sus madres por un hombre asesino. Hasta cuando esta barbarie", ha lamentado Jesús Maeztu.

Desde la Institución del Defensor del Pueblo andaluz, se ha recomendado en reiteradas ocasiones a los poderes públicos la necesidad de replantear las actuaciones de prevención y protección de las mujeres, en coordinación y colaboración con las distintas Administraciones Públicas, instituciones, colegios profesionales, fuerzas y cuerpos de Seguridad, asociaciones y otras entidades privadas que en Andalucía siguen luchando contra la violencia de género, para atajar, de una vez, este grave problema social.

On June 26-29, 2024, as part of his official visit, Public Defender Levan Ioseliani held meetings in Strasbourg. The Public Defender of Georgia met with Maria Peičinović Burić, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Michael O'Flaherty, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Veronika Bílková, Vice-President of the Venice Commission, Mathieu Mori, Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, as well as Siofra O'Leary, President of the European Court of Human Rights, and Lado Chanturia, Judge elected in respect of Georgia.

The Public Defender reviewed the human rights situation in Georgia and spoke about the challenges and results achieved in different directions, as well as the problems of the population living in the conflict regions and near the occupation line, including the unpunished violations of the right to life, social issues, the need to strengthen self-governments, situation of minorities, working environment of the media and human rights defenders, freedom of assembly and expression, progress of the pre-election campaign, and issues of public awareness-raising.

Among the topics discussed were the opinions of the friend of the court prepared by the Public Defender and the alternative reports sent to the Council of Europe, the possibilities of establishing a fair trial, legislative changes and the activities carried out within the framework of the mandate of the Public Defender’s Office.

At the meetings, heads of international organizations emphasized the importance of the work done by the Public Defender’s Office over the years in the direction of establishing ​​ human rights-based values in Georgia and expressed their willingness to deepen cooperation.

The Public Defender of Georgia also met Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, who was also on a working visit to Strasbourg, and received information about the situation of Ukrainian citizens affected by the war and the processes ongoing for their rehabilitation.

The Public Defender also held meetings with Claus Neukirch, Director of Programme Co-ordination at the Council of Europe, Jan Malinowski, Head of Social Rights Department of the European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR), and representatives of the same department - Margarita Galstyan and Tanya Montanary, as well as the heads of the Department for the Executionof Judgmentsof the European Court of Human Rights, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) and the Department of Implementation of human rights, justice and legal co-operation standards, and other high-ranking officials.