Today, 4 September, 2024, Human Rights Ombudsman Peter Svetina attended a joint meeting of the Commission for State Regulation and interested parties of the Commission for Social Welfare, Labour, Health Care and the Disabled in the National Council of the Republic of Slovenia.

He presented to those present »the 29th regular Annual Report of the Human Rights Ombudsman for 2023 and the Report on the Implementation of the Tasks and Powers of the National Preventive Mechanism for 2023«, which preventively prevents torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment of persons deprived of their liberty.

Last year, the Human Rights Ombudsman (Ombudsman) handled almost 6,300 cases and found 262 violations of rights and other irregularities, which mostly related to the principle of good governance, unjustified delay of procedures, equality before the law, and violation of the right to social security. In the current report, the Ombudsman found the most violations in the departmental area of ​​the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities. Even in 2023, difficulties in the implementation of urgent reforms became apparent again, as changes are taking place extremely slowly. “The problem seems to be not a lack of courage, but a lack of vision and constructive dialogue between the various stakeholders. This causes a feeling of helplessness among the inhabitants and reduces trust in the state," warned Ombudsman Svetina. He added that the vision of how to ensure that Slovenia remains a welfare state is being lost. Solidarity and feeling for one's fellow man are increasingly being tested, and we are increasingly becoming a society of individuals.

In order to solve the key systemic challenges in Slovenia, the Ombudsman made 86 new recommendations based on all of his activities in the past year. These relate to the work of various state bodies, municipalities, and holders of public authority. We also point out about 80 unfulfilled past recommendations that are still relevant. "We are making 24 new recommendations in the area of ​​protecting the rights of disabled persons. Last year, too, we paid a lot of attention to the accessibility of the built environment and services for disabled persons. At the end of next year, according to the Act on the Equalisation of Opportunities for Disabled Persons, the transitional period will expire, when all facilities in public use must be adapted and accessible for disabled persons. The fact is that many facilities in public use are still not accessible. We found out, for example, that the Centre for Social Work in Sežana is still inaccessible for disabled persons, as the rooms on the second floor of the building do not have a lift and are therefore inaccessible to them. After almost a year of elapsed time due to other urgent obligations, even the first meeting with the director of the aforementioned Centre for Social Work, intended to settle the matter, was cancelled. Such an attitude of the management of the Centre for Social Work is unacceptable and shows indifference to vulnerable groups," pointed out the Ombudsman.

Last year, the Ombudsman also paid a lot of attention to the situation of children, as he dealt with almost 500 cases in this area alone, and another 200 initiatives within the framework of Children's Advocacy. "A very important topic that was once again in the foreground in the past year is the mental health of children and adolescents. We highlight again the critical shortage of child psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, and other professionals. We also draw attention to the fact that care for children with special needs is still not systemically regulated, but rather depends on the awareness of individuals and their individual efforts. All of this has a direct impact on the length of legal proceedings involving children and young people, which is completely unacceptable," said Ombudsman Svetina.

In the field of health, he pointed out that access to a doctor and the quality of treatment are key elements of public health. "The biggest frustration is that a number of questions in the field of health care have remain unanswered for many years, which worsens the accessibility of health services. We are aware that the problem did not arise yesterday and cannot be solved tomorrow, but we have been warning at every opportunity, and this for many years, that it is necessary to start solving it today," the Ombudsman warned.

The Ombudsman also presented to the councillors the report of the National Preventive Mechanism, which last year visited 87 places of deprivation of liberty. "During thematic visits to various social welfare institutions and centres, we found out to the extent to which residents are guaranteed the right to privacy, health services, intimacy, and whether they have the possibility of establishing a relationship with a person of the same or a different gender inside or outside the institution. We found out, for example, that all the residents of Dom na Krasu were not provided with a regular gynaecological examination, nor were they generally included in national preventive programmes for the detection of cancerous and pre-cancerous changes," said Ombudsman Svetina.

The Human Rights Ombudsman Peter Svetina concluded his speech in the National Council with a call for a more efficient and quicker response to the Ombudsman's recommendations and emphasised that independent institutions are key to maintaining the rule of law and protecting human rights in Slovenia.