Support for human rights systems and defenders Inter-governmental human rights systems

When 05 February 2025

Where Vienna, Austria

Organised By OSCE

External event

On 5 February, FRA experts will exchange views with Human Dimension experts from the EU Delegation to International Organisations in Vienna and EU Member States Permanent Representations to the OSCE.

FRA will discuss some of its recent work. This includes protecting human rights defenders at risk and access to visas, EU enlargement, and its work on the fundamental rights implications in the EU for people fleeing the war in Ukraine, as well as relevant upcoming work such as the EU gender-based violence survey. 

The meeting will take place in Vienna. 

Published February 05, 2025

The Office of the Ombudsman participated in the IOI Ombudsman Training Academy on Complaint Behaviour, held in The Hague on 29 January 2025. The training event, organised by the Ombudsman Office of the Netherlands, was attended by 22 participants from 18 countries, with Malta being represented by the Head of Investigations Dr Monica Borg Galea.

The training was organised following the IOI European Board regional meeting on 8 July 2024, where it was agreed that a session focusing on complaint behaviour would provide valuable insights into handling challenging complainants. The goal of the training was to foster a deeper understanding of complainant behaviour, particularly in challenging cases, and to explore ways to manage and respond effectively.

Throughout the session, participants discussed key issues, including:

• Recognising different levels of tolerance for challenging behaviour and determining appropriate responses.
• Understanding complainant behaviour from the perspective of the complainant and how emotions influence interactions.
• Setting boundaries and using clear communication strategies to manage aggressive or persistent complainants.
• Exploring tools and follow-up actions available to Ombudsman offices when handling challenging cases.
• Focusing on staff well-being and ensuring appropriate support mechanisms for employees dealing with difficult interactions.

The training also emphasised the importance of maintaining objectivity, reliability, and clear communication in handling complaints, ensuring that complainants are heard while also protecting staff from undue stress. The programme provided participants with practical strategies for balancing compassion and accountability while upholding the Ombudsman’s role as an impartial mediator.

As is known to the public, the Parliament of Georgia began to discuss amendments to several legislative acts in an expedited manner this week. In particular, the amendments are planned to be made to: the Law of Georgia on Assemblies and Demonstrations; the Administrative Offences Code of Georgia, the Criminal Code of Georgia, and the Law of Georgia on Police.

The proposed legislative amendments concern important issues, such as establishing various prohibitions for participants in assemblies and demonstrations, including relating to the location of the assembly, the attributes and forms of the assembly; granting the Ministry of Internal Affairs a number of powers when prohibiting or terminating assemblies.

The amendments to the Administrative Offences Code will increase liabilities for a number of violations. They will also change the rules for conducting administrative cases, as well as procedural guarantees during consideration of cases in the court. Along with increasing sanctions, liability for committing insulting acts against representatives of the state authorities will be added to both criminal and administratively punishable actions.

According to the Public Defender, the aforementioned legislative amendments concern the realization of the fundamental rights to assembly, expression and a fair trial and create threats of disproportionate restrictions on these rights.

For years, the Public Defender has been speaking about the shortcomings of the norms regulating both freedom of assembly and expression, as well as administrative offences, and the need to carry out appropriate changes. However, the accelerated consideration of the amendments does not allow all stakeholders to participate in the legislative process. Amending important public issues without appropriate analysis and thorough discussions harms both the legislative process itself and creates risks of restricting constitutional rights.

The Public Defender of Georgia calls on the Parliament not to consider the aforementioned legislative amendments in an accelerated manner and to consider them in accordance with the general procedure established by the Rules of Procedure.

El Ararteko continúa con las visitas a los servicios sociales municipales y a los recursos sociales que atienden a las personas sin hogar, comedores, albergues, centros de día, a consecuencia de su preocupación por el incremento del número de personas en situación de exclusión residencial y el aumento el número de mujeres que residen en la calle.

El aumento del número de personas - hombres y mujeres -que viven en la calle está siendo constatado en los recuentos nocturnos de personas sin hogar. Aunque los ayuntamientos y las diputaciones forales han incrementado el número de plazas en los recursos sociales que gestionan, se trata de un problema social que presenta numerosas vertientes, lo que exige una colaboración multiagente y una perspectiva integral. 

Cada año, personal del Ararteko realiza visitas a los servicios sociales municipales de urgencias sociales para conocer la atención que se está ofreciendo en los albergues nocturnos, centros de día y comedores sociales previstos para responder a las necesidades de las personas sin hogar que viven en nuestra comunidad autónoma. 

Estas visitas ayudan a conocer la atención que están prestando los servicios sociales municipales ante un incremento del número de personas sin vivienda o alojamiento seguro y adecuado, situaciones que se agravan con las condiciones climatológicas del invierno. 

Además, nos permiten observar el cumplimiento de la  II Estrategia Vasca contra la Exclusión Residencial Grave 2024-2028, así como de la Recomendación general del Ararteko "Las administraciones públicas vascas deben dar continuidad a los esfuerzos realizados hasta el momento en la atención a las personas que viven en la calle, cumpliendo las directrices de la Estrategia Vasca para Personas Sin Hogar" y de su posterior resolución de seguimiento.

El Ararteko quiere conocer de cerca la situación de los servicios existentes, realizando estas visitas a los recursos sociales y manteniendo reuniones con organizaciones sociales, con el fin de dar respuesta al incremento del número de quejas que se han presentado, en las que se denuncia la ausencia de un alojamiento y de cobertura a sus necesidades básicas.

Vitoria-Gasteiz, 4 de febrero de 2025