The Ombudsperson participated in the 57th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council by intervening in a panel discussion, which took place on September 11, 2024, in Geneva, on how to “Promote and protect economic, social and cultural rights in the context of combating inequalities”. In her remote intervention, the Ombudsperson, Maria Lúcia Amaral, stressed the centrality of human…
On August 30, in Geneva, the Ombudsman, represented by the Deputy Ombudsman, Ravi Afonso Pereira, took part in the Pre-Session of the 4th cycle of evaluation of Portugal under the Universal Periodic Review. This event, which precedes the formal evaluation to be carried out next November, was an opportunity for the Ombudsman to present his observations and recommendations on the…
The Ombudsman’s Office has pleaded with the Social Security Institute’s (ISS) the right to unemployment benefits for victims of domestic violence who have terminated their employment contracts under the terms of the Decent Work Agenda Law, in force since May 2023. A different position is being adopted by the ISS, which only recognises this right in cases of termination after…
Continuing along the lines inaugurated in the previous year, the Ombudsman’s 2023 Activities Report, delivered today to the Portuguese Parliament, gives particular prominence to problems that, across the board and repeatedly, jeopardise the good provision of public services to a wide range of citizens. Following the emphasis given in the previous report to slowness, lack of coordination between services and…
The Ombudsperson, Maria Lúcia Amaral, has been received in audience by the President of the Assembly of the Republic, José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, on 12 July at 11.30am, to deliver the Annual Report of the institution and of the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture for 2023.
The Ombudsman’s Office took part in the 14th Meeting of the CoE-FRA-ENNHRI-EQUINET Collaborative Platform on Economic and Social Rights, organised by the Council of Europe in Vilnius on 1 July. The event was attended by more than 30 representatives of national human rights and equality promotion institutions and focussed on young people’s access to social and economic rights at a…
The Ombudsman’s Office took part in the 14th Meeting of the CoE-FRA-ENNHRI-EQUINET Collaborative Platform on Economic and Social Rights, organised by the Council of Europe in Vilnius on 1 July. The event was attended by more than 30 representatives of national human rights and equality promotion institutions and focussed on young people’s access to social and economic rights at a…
On 15 May, the Ombudsman’s Office received a delegation from Moldova, led by the Ombudsman, Ceslav Panico. The work session, which aimed to exchange knowledge and experiences, including good practices, between the two institutions, was part of the visit organised to Portugal under the high patronage of the Council of Europe Representation in Chisinau, aimed at “Strengthening the protection of…
The National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) for Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment has made public the summaries of the reports on the visits carried out in 2023 to places of deprivation of liberty. The transparent operation of places of deprivation of liberty is fundamental to compliance with the rules that regulate the activity of these spaces,…
The Ombudsman, Maria Lúcia Amaral, accompanied by the Deputy Ombudsman, Estrela Chaby, participated in the 13th World Conference and General Assembly of the International Institute of Ombudsmen (IOI), events organised by the National Justice of the Netherlands, taking place in The Hague from 12 to 17 May 2024. For the first time in eight years, this World Conference brought together…