Ombudswoman’s Report for 2006
Ljubljana, 07/23/2007 | press release
The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Janez Drnovšek, today received the annual report of the Ombudswoman, Dr Zdenka Čebašek-Travnik, for the year 2006.
In submitting the report, Dr Čebašek-Travnik explained that it had been conceived by her predecessor Matjaž Hanšek. He delivered it to her at the time she took on her mandate in February this year. The Ombudswoman kept the report in its original form; however, she added various emphases of her own.
Last year's report maintains some previous warnings about unresolved problems from the past, such as the problem of "erased persons" (the Decision of the Constitutional Court has still not been enforced), the rights of children, family violence, and problems of the elderly and the disabled. In the area of children's rights, the Ombudswoman noted the lack of relevant legislation, especially concerning the effective regulation of family relationships and violence in the family. Furthermore, in the area of health, the announced legislation has been significantly delayed, and the public is not adequately involved in the preparation of these instruments.
In the area of justice, a new problem has been added to court backlogs, namely, the overcrowding of prisons and their poor living conditions. The caseload in the area of discrimination has increased, while the Ombudswoman's Office has only a preventive role.
In environmental protection, warnings and initiatives have considerably grown in number. These are primarily complaints about the work of inspection services.
President Drnovšek thanked the Ombudswoman for her report and cautionary comments, especially with regards to problems that have remained unresolved for quite some time. He agreed with the working methodology of Dr Čebašek-Travnik and her colleagues, namely that they become directly acquainted with as many issues as possible, through visits (e.g. to prisons) and discussions with those involved (e.g. visits to locations outside of Ljubljana). It was also mentioned that the bureaucratic attitude towards human distress should be ameliorated, while complaints and problems should be resolved to the benefit of the individuals who are affected.
President Drnovšek also very positively assessed the Ombudswoman’s perception of her future work, the aim of which is to strengthen the positive values of individuals and society.