Ombudsman dr. Zdenka Cebasek - Travnik stressed in the 2007 human rights report, which has been discussed by the parliament on Tuesday, 27. 1. 2009, the lacking respect for children's rights by the media, disrespect for Constitutional Court rulings in Slovenia as well as mobbing at work, and court backlogs.
Dr. Cebasek - Travnik pointed out when addressing the parliament ahead of the discussion that the number of instigations her office received in 2007 went up by 11%, while in 2008, they were 19% up.
She emphasised that there were 18 Constitutional Court rulings which were not respected. "How can we believe in the rule of law, when there is no respect for the rulings of the Constitutional Court?" The report also urges for improvement of conditions in Slovenia's overcrowded and understaffed prisons.
Dr. Cebasek - Travnik said that the increased number of cases related to social care implied a higher level of poverty and lacking respect for children's rights. She stressed that her office was working to introduce a children's rights ombudsman.
The Ombudsman's office recorded an increase in anonymous letters from people facing mobbing at work, especially from those working in public administration.
The Ombudsman's office cooperates with a number of institutions, especially ministries. Dr. Cebasek - Travnik pointed out that the environment ministry was not very cooperative, while the responsiveness of the foreign and labour ministries was improving.
After the ombudsman's address, the parties in general showed support for most of the report's recommendations. Majda Potrata of the ruling Social Democrats (SD) said that the party hoped the increased number of cases addressed to the ombudsman meant that this institution was getting stronger and not that the level of respect for human rights in Slovenia decreased.
She also touched on the ongoing debate whether Slovenia should pay compensations to the erased (some 18,000 nationals from former Yugoslav republics who were deleted from Slovenia's permanent residence registry in 1992).
Potrata said that the SD would not support the amendment of the opposition Slovenian Democrats (SDS) to look into each case individually.
The SD would propose its own amendment entailing that the government closely followed the ruling of the Constitutional Court, which envisages that the erased have their status reinstated.
Eva Irgl of the SDS on the other hand v that the ombudsman devoted too much time to the erased while forgetting about the rights of the victims of World War II and the violence after the war.
She added that they remained unheard because they were not backed by "leftist organisations and media". The SDS also believes that double standards depending on a person's political orientation were applied, as the erased and war victims are equally important issues.
Irgl stressed that the SDS could not support the proposal of the SD to pay compensations to what she called were adversaries of Slovenia's independence.
She also said that during the previous term, when the SDS was leading the government, the now coalition showed disrespect for human rights in a number of cases which were not mentioned in the ombudsman's report.
The opposition National Party (SNS) believes that the ombudsman focused too much on the issues of the Roma and the erased. Silven Majhenic said that in these cases the ombudsman acted on her own initiative, while other people had to ask for help.
Franc Bogovic of the People's Party (SLS) expressed the party's concern over some old problems, including those regarding the Roma. The SLS believes that first it should become clear who is responsible for the issue, then their living conditions should be improved and good education provided.
The coalition parties Liberal Democrats (LDS), Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) and Zares said they would support the ombudsman's recommendations to the government.
