News

From 16 to 17 October 2019 a workshop for the European Region of the IOI was held in Riga (Latvia). The workshop was hosted by the Office of the Ombudsman of Latvia and took place in the Wellton Riverside Hotel in Riga.

The State Audit Office and the Ombudsman unanimously believe that the existing system of protecting the children’s rights and the system of out-of-family care should be reformed. The current model of subordination of Orphan’s courts to local governments has not proved its efficiency in protecting children’s rights.

Today, on 6th March Ombudsman Mr. Juris Jansons met the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Mr. Lamberto Zannier.

In 2018 Ombudsman of the Republic of Latvia monitored all six hospitals in Latvia, where in-patient psychiatric treatment of children is provided. During these monitoring visits Ombudsman examined treatment and other conditions of children in these hospitals.

The Ombudsman participates in the annual conference of the European Network of Equality Bodies EQUINET in Brussels, where discusses the previous and next year's activities.

Ombudsman has sent a letter to European Commission Directorate‑General for Economic and Financial Affairs on his opinion regarding the priorities of the state budget for year 2019 in the area of human rights.

The 21st century family no longer relies solely on sexual or blood relations, but on how people choose their co-habitation. Marriage is not the only form of family. Ombudsman calls for a unified understanding of the concept and protection of the family included in the Constitution (Satversme) and to provide a legal framework for recognizing various forms of family in Latvia.

On 2nd October participants of the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI) working group on Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities (CRPD) met in Riga hosted by Ombudsman's Office of Latvia.

On 19-20 September Ombudsman of Latvia Mr Juris Jansons hosts annual meeting of Ombudspersons from Baltic and Nordic countries.

Ombudsman of Latvia is critical about the effectiveness of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and indignant about reports of certain non-governmental organisations about situation in Latvia.