October 2022 News Summary
Amendments to the Education Law Are Not Adopted
The Parliamentary (Saeima) Education, Culture and Science Committee did not support amendments to the Education Law, which would allow heads of schools to prevent emotionally or physically violent students from undergoing education at the school. The Ombudsman has been actively campaigning against this idea since the beginning of summer, drawing attention to the negative consequences of such amendments. The Ombudsman has stressed that there is no doubt that any form of violence should be condemned, however, in his opinion, these children must be given all the assistance they need to be successfully included in society.
Information Campaign on Mobbing and Bossing
In October, the Ombudsman published a social media campaign “Mobbing and bossing has NO place at work! Don’t let it hide in the shadows, illuminate it, defend yourself!”. The campaign explained the causes and consequences of mobbing and bossing, the ways one can prove they are a victim of mobbing/bossing, and explored the laws that protect people and the best ways to deal with such conflict situations. In order to portray the way this theory can be seen in practice, each section was explained through a fictional story, where a person – procurement specialist Elza – faced mobbing at her workplace in a public institution.
The Ombudsman’s Office Observes the Parliamentary Election
On 1 October, representatives of the Ombudsman’s Office participated in the monitoring of the 14th Parliamentary (Saeima) Election, carrying out in-person monitoring visits to psychoneurological hospitals and prisons. The duty of election observers was to make sure that the voting procedure and the conduct of the polling commission complied with the Saeima Election Law and the instructions of the Central Election Commission, as well as to report on any violations detected and to request that they be prevented. Representatives of the Ombudsman’s Office have participated as observers in several elections in the past, providing their conclusions and recommendations.
Representatives of the Ombudsman’s Office Continue to Read “Ready for Life” Lectures
Representatives of the Ombudsman’s Office continue to participate in the programme “Ready for Life” and offer students in-person and online guest lectures on topical issues. More than 30 lectures have been delivered this autumn, with more than 700 students reached! Currently, representatives of the Ombudsman’s Office offer lectures on freedom of expression and hate speech, prevention of trafficking in human beings and data protection.