The Human Rights Ombudsman dr. Zdenka Čebašek-Travnik said her six-year stint would put special emphasis on children, seniors and the handicapped, the most vulnerable groups to breaches of their rights. She will also strive for legislation that would combat violence, she told STA in an interview.
Dr. Čebašek-Travnik said she would tackle all forms of violence: in the family, bullying and mobbing. "At the end of my stint, I would like to be able to say that we contributed towards legislation that reduced violence against the most vulnerable groups and increased their accessibility to employment and housing," she explained.

The new ombudsman, who took over on 21 February, said she would meet Labour, the Family and Social Affairs Minister Marjeta Cotman and other ministry representatives by the end of the month to discuss cooperation.

On the issue of the erased, dr. Čebašek-Travnik said she would like it resolved in line with the Constitutional Court's ruling, but added that she did not see a need to act in this respect as yet.

Asked about the situation of the Roma community, she pointed to the need to put together a complete picture of the situation. We need to asses the needs of the Roma and start using good practices, she said, pointing to her native region of Prekmurje, where good practices abound.

Regarding the government-sponsored Roma community act, which was passed by parliament on Friday, she said that "if the act brings solutions that are suitable for the Roma community and gives the government a more active role in solving problems of housing, education and employment, I absolutely support it".

Dr. Čebašek-Travnik works as a psychiatrist, researching addiction and other issues. Treating addiction seems simple in theory, but it is not so in real life, she said. "People you meet on the streets have lost their homes, their loved ones and have no goals in life anymore."

On the subject of the homeless, she said that there have always been people that did not know or were not able to earn enough for their survival, while some saw begging as the only way of getting money. "If I have a piece of bread or fruit, I give that, but I do not give them money."

She also said she supported projects such as street papers, which make people feel they can be useful and creative.

Moreover, dr. Čebašek-Travnik said she had doubts about the effectiveness of branch ombudsmen, such as a patients' rights ombudsman and a consumers' rights ombudsman. She does not believe that the two million Slovenians require more ombudsmen, each with their own apparatus. It might make more sense to increase the existing ombudsman's staff and ensure that rights are being implemented in their entirety, she explained.

She also said she would work closely with European institutions and Slovenian non-governmental organisations, although she would not be able to meet all of them.

As an ombudsman, she will not be able to carry on her work as a doctor due to anti-graft legislation, however is planning to continue her work as a researcher, publicist and lecturer. Currently, she lectures on psychiatry at the Ljubljana Faculty of Medicine.

Asked whether she would run for another six years after her stint finishes, she said she was focusing on the tasks at hand and was not concerned with what would happen in six years.