He emphasizes that the year 2022 had brought a lot of success and joy, pain, sadness, as well as support, care, and hope.
“It was a year that made people turn over the pages of the history book to sigh in madness and say: “Already again!” Once again, people drive people into cruelty, forget why we were born in this world at all and what values we carry,” judged the ombudsman.
According to him, the war carried out by Russia in Ukraine has served as a reminder of why everyone should value independence, freedom and everyone’s rights when living in modern Latvia and Europe. At the same time, this year has been a confirmation of Latvian society’s humanity, selflessness and faith in the good.
Human rights, although so intangible at the moment, have suddenly been born again, because it is clearly visible how they are being violated right here – near Latvia, Jansons emphasized. Therefore, with even greater zeal this year, the Office of the Ombudsman addressed and listened to the public in various formats of activities, realizing that only an educated person can defend his rights and prevent their infringement.
“In a society exhausted by the pandemic and intimidated by the horrors of war”, the problem of freedom of speech has significantly worsened, concluded the ombudsman, adding that, unfortunately, people’s opinions are increasingly turning into hate speech.
Even the language of individual members of the Saeima – people’s representatives – was insulting, violating any standards of ethics and good governance, Jansons pointed out, emphasizing that this fact also explains and outlines why we have to fight for good governance in state and local government institutions year after year. The Ombudsman reminds that good governance is one that breaks down barriers, provides meaningful support and is based on mutual respect and empathy.
The improvement of the children’s rights protection system planned for 2021 was reduced to the reform of the orphans’ courts, the necessity of which was supported by the Office of the Ombudsman. However, the result does not meet expectations, according to Jansons, because the orphanages are in a serious crisis of human resources.
Jansons is convinced that the best interests of children cannot be defended if there are no defenders themselves or they are weak. According to him, decision-making should be transferred to a judicial instance belonging to the judiciary – the family court, in order to finally grant the child legal protection in important matters.
In an effort to prevent problems, human rights have also been viewed in the context of deinstitutionalization, looking for solutions for inclusive life in society. The Office of the Ombudsman has investigated the current situation in various closed and semi-closed institutions, pointed out violations and provided practical recommendations for improving the situation.
“We know that there is still a lot of work, but we feel that we are heard, we see improvements in many areas,” emphasized Jansons in the report, adding that we also have to face new and unprecedented challenges.