BackThe Ombudsman`s office published the English version of the 2014 annual report on the actual topics of human rights and good governance. “To my regret, the year 2014 has not marked any significant positive shift towards human rights and good governance. Yet I am pleased to note that no rapid deterioration of the situation has been observed either”, says Juris Jansons, the Ombudsman of Latvia.
The overall poverty of Latvian people remains among the main reasons or at least one of key aspects of the problems. Inspection cases lead to conclusion that, as far as the rights of children are concerned, the consequences of poverty are experienced most often by large families or incomplete families: they lack funds to improve their dwelling conditions, and comprehensive development of children is therefore jeopardized.
Even though the lack of funds is among the reasons most frequently mentioned to excuse the poorly developed services, such as alternative out-of-family care, community-based services (group homes, social apartments) and other support services to the vulnerable groups of society, the lack of understanding of the need for such services among the decision-makers is the key reason.
The year 2014 was featured by increased attention on the part of foreign partners as well as certain local organizations and media, often bordering in pressure concerning the issues of national minorities. Occasional attempts to create intentional confusion between the aspects of national minorities and citizenship could also be observed thus seeking to discredit the observation of human rights in Latvia.
The Ombudsman’s Office proactively worked on handling individual applications as well as systemic problems. The entire annual report 2014 can be downloaded from below.
Source: Ombudsman of the Republic of Latvia
