Annual Report on the Year 2011 by Ombudsman of the Republic of Latvia
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Annual Report on the year 2011 by Ombudsman of the Republic of Latvia Riga, 2012 2 Preamble by the Ombudsman ........................................................................... 7 Protection of the Rights of children .................................................................. 10 What are the rights of children? ............................................................................................... 10 Priorities in the field of the rights of children ........................................................................... 10 I. Children in state social care facilities (nursing homes)...................................... 11 1. The right of child to grow up in family................................................................................. 11 2. The right of child with special needs to grow up in family.................................................... 13 3. Ensuring of the right of siblings to be not separated ............................................................. 14 4. Number of children accomodated at PSCCs and their right to qualitative care...................... 15 5. Alternative forms of care...................................................................................................... 16 6. Social work with a family .................................................................................................... 18 7. Immediate steps to be taken to ensure the right of children to grow up in family or to ensure family-based care..................................................................................................................... 19 7.1. Procedure for placement of a child into alternative care............................................ 19 7.2. Administration of child’s property............................................................................ 20 7.3. Health care services ................................................................................................. 20 7.4. Reorganization of PSCCs......................................................................................... 21 7.5. Organization of the work and staff of PSCCs ........................................................... 22 II. Securing of the rights of children at psycho-neurological hospitals ................. 23 1. Treatment of children separately from adult patients ............................................................ 23 2. Internal regulations for patients............................................................................................ 25 3. Restriction of physical mobility (fixation of children) .......................................................... 25 4. Toilets.................................................................................................................................. 26 5. The right to maintain contacts, communication possibilities, and social integration .............. 27 6. Support to families with children (availability of social worker and psychologist) ............... 28 7. Availability of outdoor activities .......................................................................................... 28 8. Smoking prohibition ............................................................................................................ 28 9. Leisure time opportunities.................................................................................................... 29 10. The right of children to education....................................................................................... 29 11. Involvement of orphans’ courts and other institutions in handling of the issues .................. 29 III. The right to free education.............................................................................. 30 IV. Individual preventive work with children in municipalities............................ 31 1. Introduction to the issue ....................................................................................................... 31 2. Development of the regulation of preventive work ............................................................... 32 3. Legal regulation of preventive work..................................................................................... 33 4. The role of municipal child institutions or specialist responsible for protection of the rights of children in the child right protection system......................................................................... 34 5. Description of the actual situation ........................................................................................ 35 5.1. Institutions responsible for individual preventive work with children ....................... 35 5.2. Initiation of preventive work .................................................................................... 36 5.3. Informing of parents (guardians, foster parents) and pedagogues about social behavior adjustment programs for children belonging to risk groups............................... 37 5.4. Financial impact of preventive work with children on the municipal budget............. 39 3 V. Actual problems in the field of the rights of children....................................... 40 1. Statistics and overall review................................................................................................. 40 2. The right of orphans and children left without parental care to housing when they reach major age................................................................................................................................. 43 3. Application of legal principles in the field of social rights .................................................... 45 4. Duty of parents to respect the rights of a child...................................................................... 46 5. Infringement on the Internet................................................................................................. 47 6. The right of child to grow up in family................................................................................. 47 Civil and political rights..................................................................................... 49 What are civil and political rights?........................................................................................... 49 Priorities in the fields of civil and political rights ..................................................................... 49 I. Ensuring of the rights of individuals with mental health and mental development impairments .................................................................................... 49 1. Compulsory accommodation of individials in psycho-neurological hospitals – ensuring of the right to fair court ................................................................................................................ 50 2. Compliance of procedures for deprival of individuals of their legal capacity and scope of the rights of incapacitated individuals with human rights ......................................................... 51 3. Provision of the rights of individuals accommodated at Public Social Care Centers.............. 52 4. The right of individuals with mental impairments to the protection of their data................... 53 II. Legal status and protection of detained foreigners and asylum-seekers............ 56 1. Rights of asylum-seekers and individuals who have obtained the status upon completion of asylum procedures ties ības....................................................................................................... 56 2. Monitoring of return by force process in accordance with the amenments made to the Immigration Law ..................................................................................................................... 58 III. Actual problems in the field of civil and political rights ................................. 59 1. The right to fair court ........................................................................................................... 59 1.1. Reasonable deadlines ............................................................................................... 59 1.2. The right of individual to fair court while in custody................................................ 60 1.3. Access to court......................................................................................................... 61 2. Legal status of an individual................................................................................................. 62 Social and economical rights ............................................................................. 63 What are social and economical rights?.................................................................................... 63 Priorities in the field of social and economical rights ............................................................... 63 I. Compliance with the human right principles in the process of stabilization of social insurance system ........................................................................................ 64 II. Commensurability of the rights of owners in compulsory lease relations......... 65 III. Assessment of quality control vehicle in health care....................................... 65 IV. Assessment of the steps taken by municipalities in providing assistance in housing matters .................................................................................................... 65 V. Social protection of the participants to and individuals injured as a result of the