to meet every minister individually in the autumn and review again the possibilities of implementing the Ombudsman’s recommendations. In 2015, the Ombudsman organised 19 press conferences; seven were held at the head office in Ljubljana and 12 in different towns in Slovenia during meetings outside the head office. Brief press conferences were also convened after meetings with ministers in order to make joint statements. At press conferences held during meetings outside the head office, the Ombudsman usually presented the main findings and topics of discussions held with mayors. At this point, we will not give further details, but we invite all interested readers to find more information on the Ombudsman’s website under Media Centre/Work and news (http:// www.varuh-rs.si/index.php?id=48&L=6). We also do not include joint statements made after meetings with esteemed guests. With ministers, we usually discussed open issues, the content of complaints and the Ombudsman’s recommendations, which are presented in more detail in Chapter 2 of the Report. Below we provide certain main topics that were addressed at press conferences which were held at the Ombudsman’s head office. These press conferences were convened if we assessed that complex content required detailed clarification or direct public debate with the media in order to dispel possible confusion. All press conferences were audio recorded. 3 INFORMATION ABOUT THE OMBUDSMAN’S WORK The Ombudsman requests a constitutional review of several provisions of the Exercise of Rights from Public Funds Act On 20 May 2015, Human Rights Ombudsman Vlasta Nussdorfer filed a request at the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Slovenia for a constitutional review of three provisions of the Exercise of Rights from Public Funds Act and a review of a provision of the Rules referring to the Act. At the press conference, the Ombudsman and Deputy Tone Dolčič stated that it was the Ombudsman’s view that the provisions infringe unacceptably on the rights of the most vulnerable groups, particularly children. The Ombudsman had been drawing the attention of the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities to the problems since the passage of the legislation at the beginning of 2013; however, no changes were made. The request was presented by the Ombudsman’s adviser, Lan Vošnjak. The Ombudsman contested the provision according to which child maintenance is included in family income up to the amount of the minimum income. The second contested provision referred to the establishment of cohabitation. The Ombudsman also contested the provision governing the establishment of the income of sole proprietors. Furthermore, it requested that the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Slovenia examine the provision of the Rules for determining the savings amount and property value and on the value of provision for basic needs with reference to procedures of exercise of rights to public funds. The Ombudsman admonishes the state for failing to implement the Ombudsman’s recommendations On Friday, 19 June 2015, Human Rights Ombudsman Vlasta Nussdorfer handed over the Annual Report of the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Slovenia for 2015 to Dr. Milan Brglez, President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia, at the premises of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia. Following the handover, the Ombudsman and Deputies Tone Dolčič and mag. Kornelija Marzel presented the main issues discussed in the Annual Report at the press conference in the conference room at the Ombudsman’s head office. The Ombudsman emphasised that the economic crisis was still used too frequently as an excuse for violating rights, which was unacceptable. It was time to stop talking and start taking action, she said. She also emphasised that human rights are birthrights, and the first task of governments is to realise them. The Ombudsman submitted as many as 114 recommendations, although most those from 2013 had not yet been implemented. “The Ombudsman will insist on their realisation,” she said, and added that she intended 196 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS OMBUDSMAN OF THE REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA FOR 2015 The Ombudsman challenged the intervention in the rent subsidies at the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Slovenia and requested supervision of the work of judges at Celje District Court At a press conference on Friday, 31 July 2015, Human Rights Ombudsman Vlasta Nussdorfer and Deputies mag. Kornelija Marzel and Ivan Šelih presented a request for a constitutional review of the Act Regulating Measures Aimed at the Fiscal Balance of Municipalities (ZUUJFO) and spoke about the death of a 92-year old patient accommodated at the Unit for Forensic Psychiatry of the Department of Psychiatry at Maribor University Medical Centre. Deputy Marzel said that not all municipalities had a sufficient stock of so-called non-profit apartments and thus not all eligible individuals are granted one although they meet the criteria. Prior to the Act’s provisions, people were able to obtain an apartment on the market and receive a subsidy making up the difference between a profit and market rent, and also a subsidy for a non-profit part of the rent. The Act Regulating Measures Aimed at the Fiscal Balance of Municipalities terminated the additional subsidy up to the amount of the recognised non-profit rent. By doing so, the Act caused further distress to the socially weakest people and also made homelessness more likely. Deputy Ivan Šelih presented the case of a violation of a terminally ill patient’s rights. He assessed that Celje District Court had not responded appropriately to the warnings of the Unit for Forensic Psychiatry of the Department of Psychiatry at Maribor University Medical Centre on the seriousness of the patient’s condition and thus failed to respect his personality and dignity. Due to the court’s dilatoriness, the Ombudsman filed a request for official supervision with the President of Celje District Court on the basis of Article 7 of the Human Rights Ombudsman Act (ZVarCP) and paragraph one of Article 79b of the Judicial Service Act (ZSS). More on this case can be found in Chapter 2.3. Restriction of personal liberty. UNICEF and the Ombudsman invite children to speak at UNICEF safe points about their problems At the beginning of the new school year, UNICEF Slovenia and the Human Rights Ombudsman reminded children that if they have problems, they can find refuge at UNICEF safe points. One of these points is located at the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Slovenia. Tomaž Bergoč, Executive Director of UNICEF Slovenia, invited children to talk about their problems with parents, friends, at school or at UNICEF safe points without any fear. The Ombudsman stressed that the institution had become one of UNICEF safe points a year ago, as an institution which strives to protect children’s rights and participates in creating a safer environment for children. In 13 years, 566 safe points were established in 74 Slovenian towns, which involve over 1,200 kind people who voluntarily help children in distress. On homelessness through the eyes of the Ombudsman before World Homeless Day and the network for the homeless Homelessness was no longer limited only to middle-aged men, but had also spread to women and children, Human Rights Ombudsman Vlasta Nussdorfer emphasised at a press conference before 10 October, World Homeless Day. At the press conference of 6 October 2015, Deputy mag. Kornelija Marzel presented the main issues that the Human Rights Ombudsman had identified in this field. She said that the Ombudsman had received 12 complaints about evictions in 2015. Deputy Marzel said that people usually contact the Ombudsman at later stages, and also highlighted the problematic registering of residence. If a person is unable to register a residence, they lose numerous rights, i.e. social assistance and health insurance. Boštjan Cvetič, President of the Slovenian Network of Organisations Working with the Homeless, outlined issues encountered in the field and the basic guidelines for the formation of the Homelessness Strategy in Slovenia. This would be the first such document in the country, he stated, and also expressed the need for an ombudsman of homeless people. ANNUAL REPORT OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS OMBUDSMAN OF THE REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA FOR 2015 197 3 INFORMATION ABOUT THE OMBUDSMAN’S WORK Press conferences