The mass arrivals in Europe of people fleeing from danger in their countries put children in a very vulnerable situation. They are exposed to the risk of physical violence, sexual abuse and psychological suffering in addition to material hardship. Whether they are refugees or migrants, children are at the centre of all Council of Europe actions involving migratory issues.

In many parts of the EU, civil society is under threat, finds a new report by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). Given the vital role civil society plays in upholding democratic processes and in promoting human rights, decision makers need to ensure the important work of civil society is not undermined through policy and legal changes and funding cuts.

 

Ombudsman Peter Tyndall has today published a report following his investigation into the HSE’s administration of the Treatment Abroad Scheme. The investigation followed complaints to the Ombudsman about the scheme including suggestions that it was overly complex, that there were delays in approving applications and that some applicants were being given incorrect information.

La Defensoría del Pueblo al iniciar este año, considera oportuno, en su calidad de coordinadora del Observatorio Panameño contra la Violencia de Género (OPVG), hacer una breve reseña sobre la situación de violencia contra las mujeres, como una forma de visibilizar los retos que continuamos teniendo como Estado, en la protección y defensa de los derechos de las mujeres.

The Commission participated in the first Regional Conference for Ombudsmen of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) member states in Djibouti City, Djibouti, from 10th to 11thDecember, 2017. The Conference, whose theme was ‘Migration, Public Protection and Human Security’, was organised by IGAD for experience sharing and development of a regional approach to addressing the challenges related to migration, public protection and human security in the IGAD region.

In the framework of the regional subsidy programme of the IOI, the Ararteko - Ombudsman of the Basque Country is hosting a workshop on “The Right of the People to Good Environmental Governance”, which will take place from 16 - 17 May 2018 in Vitoria-Gasteiz (Basque Country).

In a recently published report, the Ombudsman for Children presents the case of Molly (Names have been changed to protect anonymity), who was born with Down Syndrome and severe autism and has grown up with her foster family after being placed there when she was a baby. Molly’s foster carer made a complaint to the Ombudsman about the level of supports and services being provided and the Ombudsman’s investigation found that there was a lack of co-ordination between the two agencies which meant that services and supports provided by both organisations were insufficient.

The Office of the Ombudsman Malawi will host a Training on the Role of Ombudsman institutions in promoting and entrenching/enforcing ethics, transparency and accountability in the public sector in Lilongwe, Malawi at the Bingu International Conference Centre on 5 - 7 February 2018. The Training will be financially supported by the IOI regional subsidy programme 2017/2018.