July 30 was elected by the United Nations World Day against Trafficking in Persons. According to this organization’s data, more than 225,000 victims of trafficking have been signaled since 2003: women, children and men, exploited for various purposes. The World Report on Trafficking in Persons notes that in recent years the number of victims has increased. Virtually every country in…
Deputy Ombudsman Joaquim Pedro Cardoso da Costa was in Cairo as a "keynote speaker" to talk about the role played by the Ombudsman of Portugal in the process of compensation for the seriously injured and the relatives of the mortal victims of the great fires of the summer of 2017, where 115 people died. The intervention took place in the…
The Ombudsman took part in the international conference on consumer rights awareness organized by the Katawice University of Economics in Poland from June 16 to 18. Topics for discussion included education for sustainable and responsible consumption and protection of consumer rights in an increasingly global and digital marketplace. The adviser Miguel Feldmann represented and shared the experiences of the Ombudsman…
The Portuguese Ombudsman, Maria Lúcia Amaral, closed on 24 May in Ankara the cycle of human rights training actions with a view to strengthening of the Ombudsman of Turkey. In her speech, Maria Lúcia Amaral explained that the creation of the Nordic-inspired “Ombudsman” was one of the first consensuses of the Portuguese democratic era, and that today still remains intact…
The second interim evaluation of the twinning project aimed at strenghtening the role of the Ombudsman of Turkey on enforcement of Human Rights, under the responsibility of the Ombudsman of Portugal, was held in Ankara on 30 April. The representatives of the two institutions, the European Union Delegation in Turkey, and representatives of the Turkish Government and Parliament were present.…
On the eve of the European elections, "The State of European Democracy: How to Enable Citizen Participation" is the theme of the annual conference of the European Network of Ombudsmen, which will be held in Brussels on 8 and 9 April. Organized by European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly, the conference will discuss measures to improve participatory democracy in the European Union…
Portugal has a long-standing commitment to the recognition and protection of human rights and in the last decades efforts have been made to be in line with the highest international standards. Examples include the National Plan against Trafficking in Human Beings, the National Strategy for the Integration of Gypsy Communities, the National Strategy for Equality and Non-Discrimination and the ratification…
The Ombudsman participates in the consultation of the United Nations Network on the implementation of the Global Pact for Migration, adopted in December 2018 in Marrakesh. The National Human Rights Institutions will play an important role in the implementation of this instrument, which aims to promote safe, orderly and regular migrations worldwide. It will be up to all of them,…
Representatives of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) from all regions of the world are meeting in Geneva for the annual meeting of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI). The meeting, which will take place from 4 to 7 March, will focus on the role of NHRIs in the review of the Global Compact for Safe, Ordained and…
The rule of law as guarantor of freedom and democracy will be the focus of debate at the World Law Congress, which will meet in Madrid on February 19 and 20. Organized by the World Association of Jurists (WJA), the event was convened under the motto "Constitution, democracy and freedom" and will be attended by the Ombudsman, Maria Lúcia Amaral,…
