On Thursday 5 March, the Human Rights Ombudswoman, Dr Simona Drenik Bavdek, and her colleagues visited the municipality of Ribnica. They visited the social work centre, the police station and the Roma settlement of Goriča vas, where they met with the mayor of the municipality, Samo Pogorelec. Dr Bavdek and her colleagues also met five residents who had turned to the Ombudsman's office for help in asserting their rights after feeling that their human rights had been violated.

During the meeting, Dr Bavdek examined various aspects of human rights implementation in the municipality of Ribnica, paying particular attention to issues concerning the coexistence of the Roma and majority communities. She highlighted the lack of cooperation in addressing these issues. 'I believe that this problem could be solved much more quickly if everyone worked together to find a solution,' she said.

According to the ombudswoman, the municipality of Ribnica devotes a lot of time to issues concerning the Roma community. 'At the same time, I am frustrated that progress is slow due to the complexity of the issues, and perhaps also due to a lack of understanding and poor communication between institutions. I am also concerned that the discourse on human rights is conducted in such a way that human rights are seen as conflicting with security and the provision of a higher standard of living in municipalities. This is problematic because human rights are inalienable and belong to everyone. Human rights include the right to personal safety and the right to a minimum standard of living, and institutions are primarily responsible for ensuring these rights are upheld,' the Ombudswoman concluded. After visiting several institutions and talking to representatives of the Roma community, she said that she felt "as if we were talking about a completely different place and issue", which, in her opinion, is not good.

The ombudswoman also discussed setting up a long-term care system, making public institutions accessible to people with disabilities, and different aspects of realising children's rights with representatives of the Ribnica Social Work Centre. At the Ribnica Police Station, they discussed the general security situation and the challenges faced by the police.