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Home > Members Home > Croatian Office of the Ombudsman
Croatian Office of the OmbudsmanDate established October 1992, became an equality body on 1st January 2009. Mode of establishment - The Constitution of the Republic of Croatia, 1991 (states that the Ombudsman/woman is independent, that s/he protects citizens’ rights and reports to the Croatian Parliament) Status Independent and autonomous (reports to the Parliament). Mandate/objectives The Ombudsman/woman and his/her deputies are elected for a term of eight years and may be re-elected. Grounds of discrimination covered The Anti-discrimination Act provides for the protection and promotion of equality as one of the highest values of the constitutional order of the Republic of Croatia, creates prerequisites for the realization of equal opportunities and regulates protection against discrimination on the grounds of race or ethnic affiliation or color, gender, language, religion, political or other belief, national or social origin, property status, trade union membership, education, social status, marital or family status, age, health status, disability, genetic heritage, gender identity and expression or sexual orientation. Primary responsibility for dealing with complaints on the grounds of gender, gender identity and expression and sexual orientation lies with the Ombudsman/woman for gender equality. Primary responsibility for dealing with complaints on the ground of disability lies with the Ombudsman/woman for persons with disabilities. Competences and responsibilities For the grounds of race or ethnic affiliation or color, language, religion, political or other belief, national or social origin, property status, trade union membership, education, social status, marital or family status, age, health status and genetic heritage the Ombudsman/woman has the power to: However, the Office of the Ombudsman as the central equality body has the responsibility to collect and analyze statistical data on discrimination concerning all of the grounds stated in the Anti-discrimination Act as well as to inform the Croatian Parliament on the occurrences of discrimination on the basis of these grounds in his/her annual report (and when required, special reports), to conduct surveys concerning discrimination, to give opinions and recommendations, and to suggest appropriate legal and strategic solutions to the Government of the Republic of Croatia. Also, the Ombudsman/woman has the power to intervene in the court proceedings on behalf of the party that has been discriminated against and, under specific circumstances, to instigate court proceedings when the right to equal treatment of a larger group of persons is violated. Main activities The Office of the Ombudsman has 3 main functions: it is a classical ombudsman’s office (since 1992), an A level National Human Rights Institution (since April 2008) and the central equality body (since January 1st 2009). The majority of its activities is based on complaints handling – both in the area of Ombudsman’s primary competence (concerning infringement of citizen’s rights by public authorities) and in the area of competence as the equality body (complaints concerning discrimination). However, following recent developments of becoming an NHRI and an equality body, more and more attention is given to international relations, educational and promotional activities. Publications Gogić, Milena, ed. Annual report on the work of the Office of the Ombudsman for the year 2008. Zagreb: Office of the Ombudsman, 2009. Promotion of equality Since its appointment as an equality body on January 1st 2009, the Office of the Ombudsman has organized numerous activities for the purpose of promoting the Anti-discrimination Act. The Office organized a large launching conference marking the entry into the force of the Anti-discrimination Act entitled “The Ombudsman as the as the central body responsible for the suppression of discrimination”. Furthermore during 2009 the Office participated in a PROGRESS funded project named “Supporting the implementation of the Anti-discrimination Act”. The primary purpose of the project was to familiarize all of the relevant target groups which are involved in the implementation of the Anti-discrimination Act and/or those which will possibly implement the law with the Anti-discrimination Act, as well as with European anti-discrimination legislation. In order to achieve the given objective, numerous trainings were held regarding subjects in the area of legal protection from discrimination. The training was as follows: education for staff of the Office of the Ombudsman and special Ombudswomen, education for judges and State attorneys, training for Police Academy trainers and public servants, training for attorneys, training for NGO and media representatives, training for business sector members and an international conference open to all interested participants of previous education. Two round-tables were also organized and representatives of regional institutions and bodies active in the area of human rights protection were invited. Within the project, a Guide to the Anti-Discrimination Act was written and published. A number of experts from the Republic of Croatia collaborated on it and it will enable all interested target groups easily to obtain information about the European anti-discrimination legislation, directives which are related to protection from discrimination as well as detailed information regarding all aspects of the Croatian Anti-Discrimination Act (procedural provisions, misdemeanor provisions and other specifics of the Croatian Act). The second set of project objectives was to let the public know that the Anti-discrimination Act was passed and to define the Office of the Ombudsman as the central body in charge of suppressing discrimination. For this purpose the project web-site was created, where the public could obtain the most recent information regarding project implementation. The web-site of the Office of the Ombudsman was redesigned, and a national anti-discrimination campaign was carried out. The objective of the national campaign was to raise the awareness of citizens about their discriminatory behavior and to warn them that there is a law in Croatia that prohibits discrimination. As part of the campaign, jumbo posters and billboards were put up throughout Croatia and posters and brochures were created. A TV clip and a radio jingle were also recorded as part of the campaign and they were continuously broadcasted on public television, 3 times a day for a month. A poll was carried out in two parts to assess the public awareness of discrimination and the forms that it takes, first in May of 2009, and the second in December 2009, which showed progress after the campaign was carried out. In fact, the results of the second round of the poll indicated that the percentage of citizens who have heard that the Act was passed increased from 42% in the first round, to 50% in the second. The public campaign continued in the year 2010, regardless of the fact that the project had finished. Management The Ombudsman/woman and 3 deputies Nomination of senior staff and board The Ombudsman/woman and his/her deputies are elected by the Parliament. Number of staff 33 (the entire Office of the Ombudsman, in all its functions). Budget € 1.286.583,68 (for the entire work of the Office of the Ombudsman) Accountability The Ombudsman is accountable to the Parliament only.. Address Ombudsman Contact details Phone: 385 1 4851 855 Further information Equinet contact person website: www.ombudsman.hr |
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