ANNUAL REPORT OF 2019 ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE SEIMAS OMBUDSMEN’S OFFICE OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS PROBLEMS The Seimas Ombudsman, as the Head of the National Human Rights Institution, in performing the functions assigned to the institution has the right to initiate investigations into the fundamental human rights problems (Article 19²(2)(6)). Given the current human rights situation in the country and acknowledging that the country has many other fundamental human rights problems, in 2019, the Ombudsmen’s Office conducted 7 (seven) investigations into the fundamental human rights problems. These investigations were initiated taking account of the scale and systemic nature of the human rights problems, the relevance of problems and whether the problem affects vulnerable groups of the society. The assessment of human rights problems takes into account the main international instruments governing the protection of human rights to which Lithuania is a party: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment and Punishment, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and other documents. Investigation into the fundamental human rights problems in the area of homelessness The Seimas Ombudsman conducted the investigation into the fundamental human rights problems in the area of homelessness and assessed the country’s strategic documents and the concept of homelessness in them, documents regulating the allocation of resources to address the issue of homelessness, as well as the accounting of the homeless at the national and regional levels. EVERYONE COUNTS 16 The investigation revealed that, in accordance with Article 2(1) of the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on Declaration of the Place of Residence, a person who does not have any premises or building by right of ownership or by other right to use such premises or building and who lives in temporary accommodation establishments or public places is considered homeless. According to the Statistics Lithuania, in 2011 there were 857 and in 2001 – 1,250 homeless people in the country. For the purposes of this census, people who had no permanent residence and no means to rent at least a minimum home were considered homeless. At the time of the census, they were living in sewers, landfills or heating systems. Data on the homeless were collected during the census of the Lithuanian residents (2001 and 2011) conducted every ten years, at the beginning of each decade according to recommendations of the United Nations Organisation. Taking into account the requirements of the European Union, the next census in Lithuania is planned for 2021. According to the data of the Statistics Lithuania, in 2012, 2,447 people were accommodated in the country’s hostels, in 2013 and 2014 – 2,601, in 2015 – 2,487, and in 2016, their number reached already 2 9686. The Statistics Lithuania explains that the above mentioned data show how many persons were accommodated in hostels for various reasons, including homelessness. The number of such people may include some of those who were recorded as homeless at the time of the census according to the definition of the homeless used in the census. According to representatives of the Ministry of Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania (hereinafter also referred to as the MSSL), the exact number of the homeless people is not known because some homeless people 6 Data of the Statistics Lithuania. Residents in hostels by reason and duration of the accommodation, 2016.