After the first year in office, Human Rights Ombudsman dr. Zdenka Cebasek - Travnik told the press on Tuesday she was concerned in particular about problems related to the rights of children and seniors, poverty and the rule of law.

"When I began my term, I thought that giving attention to that [rights of children, seniors] was necessary. Now, I have discovered that these things need the most urgent attention, as things are happening here that do not befit a country like Slovenia," dr. Cebasek - Travnik said.

She was also worried about the rule of law in Slovenia. "I have the feeling that are people losing confidence in Slovenia as a state governed by the rule of law," she said, adding that problems needed to be tackled at the legal level, as in many cases, the legal proceedings take too long because of flawed legislation.

She pointed to the example of children rights in a case of divorce. "The legal proceedings can take up to nine years after divorce. Parents keep filing appeals and nothing happens," she explained.

As regards the erased, who are running a campaign this week at the 16th anniversary of them being removed from the country's permanent residence registry in 1992 after failing to apply for Slovenian citizenship, she said the problem needed to be addressed in line with the decision of the Constitutional Court.

Appropriate solutions have been proposed before the issue sparked further complications. "However, we are still facing the unfortunate fates of people who did not understand the meaning of the erasure," she said.

Moving on to the topic of poverty and human rights, the ombudsman said her office would organise a panel on the topic in May. Poverty in Slovenia is on the increase, dr. Cebasek - Travnik said, labeling it a violation of human dignity.

Commenting on the proposed changes to the penal code, the ombudsman said changes should not be done too hastily. She also said she opposed life imprisonment and 30-year sentences. She welcomed, however, the solutions introduced for dealing with workplace violence.

In 2007, the office of the ombudsman received 11% more initiatives than a year before, dr. Cebasek - Travnik said. There has been a noticeable increase in those related to children's rights and social security, but the majority of initiatives still deal with the judiciary and police.