Today, 5 June 2024, Ombudsman Peter Svetina submitted the 29th regular Annual Report of the Ombudsman and the 16th report of the National Preventive Mechanism for 2023 to the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia. Today, he handed the reports to the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr. Nataša Pirc Musar, and on Friday, 7 June, he will hand it over to the Prime Minister, Dr. Robert Golob.

After the fifth year of his mandate, Svetina is concerned because the necessary changes in society or key systemic reforms – in the field of health, education, long-term care, deinstitutionalisation, and other social areas – are happening too slowly. “We seem to lack ambition and vision. I miss an honest dialogue between different stakeholders, which is not an end in itself, but aims to find the best possible solutions, with people at the centre. Solidarity and compassion for one's fellow man are increasingly put to the test. Individualism, even selfishness, is on the rise, while those on the margins of society are becoming more and more powerless and without the support they need and deserve," said the Ombudsman at the handover.

In 2023, the institution of the Ombudsman handled a total of 6,225 cases, which is 250 cases more than the year before, and found 262 violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms and other irregularities. Public bodies still most often violate the principle of good governance (in 2023, this was the case in 65 cases), unjustifiably delay procedures, and violate the principle of equality before the law and the rights of persons with disabilities. This is followed by a violation of the right to social security, a violation of the right to health care, and a violation of the principle that Slovenia is a legal and social state. These 262 violations or irregularities are still most often detected by the Ombudsman in the work area of the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities (in 55 cases), in 23 cases the violations and irregularities were caused by administrative units in their work, the Ministry of Health has irregularities and caused violations in 18 cases, while violations were detected in 15 cases in the municipalities. In 2023, 14 violations related to the Ministry of the Interior, centres for social work (in 10 cases) and the Government of the Republic of Slovenia (in 9 cases).
The Ombudsman also emphasised that the number and share of well-founded complaints among those resolved are not a true indicator of the state of human rights protection in Slovenia, as not all those whose rights are violated contact the institution. "However, it can also happen that a single well-founded complaint, in which we found a systemic irregularity, means a violation of the rights of hundreds or even thousands of people. This is also why, on our own initiative, we address many open questions in society and make unannounced and announced visits to institutions. In the role of the National Preventive Mechanism, within the framework of which we take preventive care of the rights of persons in places of deprivation of liberty, we made 87 visits in 2023 alone. We are also active in the field of children's rights – 85 children were assigned a lawyer in 2023, and we have also done a lot of work as a national institution for human rights, as well as in the international field in the field of analytical, research and educational activities in the field of raising awareness of the importance of human rights,” Ombudsman Svetina emphasised.
 Based on all its activities in 2023, the Ombudsman presented a total of 85 new recommendations to decision-makers. "The number of recommendations is about the same as in the previous two years, and the number of unimplemented past recommendations has slightly decreased, but I point out again that the key recommendations in the reforms still remain unimplemented. I call on all those in charge to implement the recommendations of the Ombudsman's institution, as they are based on specific violations and findings. With changes, either to the legal framework or to the practice of the authorities, many new violations could be prevented. A mere general reference to the importance of human rights is insufficient. We need concrete actions, which also includes the adoption of regulations that address acute open issues," said the Ombudsman.

He added that the failure to comply with the Ombudsman's recommendations and the increase in violations of the principle of good governance shows the step-motherly attitude of the respective authorities towards the institution of the Ombudsman, whose tasks are defined by the constitution and the law, and which is bound by high international standards in its work. "Democratic societies need independent supervisory institutions for a well-functioning system of checks and balances. It is imperative that their suggestions and recommendations are taken into account, as well as their financial independence and appropriate position. At the Ombudsman, we want to do our best to contribute to changes for the better and to be a strong voice for all those who are not heard, but without the cooperation and active engagement of all stakeholders, there will be no significant progress," added Ombudsman Peter Svetina.