PART III PART II PART I CANCELLOR OF JUSTICE AS OMBUDSMAN FOR CHILDREN In October, some members of the advisory body participated in preparing the ombudsman’s public address for the prohibition of corporal punishment of children, discussing the purpose and messages of the address with various specialists at the roundtable convened by the Ombudsman for Children, and giving examples of the relevant debates held in their own organisations. In cooperation with the members of the advisory body, adviser to the Ombudsman for Children Andra Reinomägi participated in summer camps of the association Eesti 4H and of the Scouts to introduce the principles of the rights of the child, and in November in cooperation with the Estonian Association of Pupils’ Representative Bodies she attended the general assembly of the Association in Paide where she organised a workshop on the rights of the child and corporal punishment. 3. Public address for the prohibition of corporal punishment of children In November, the Ombudsman for Children sent a public address to the Minister of Social Affairs to prohibit corporal punishment of children39. 31 organisations and establishments joined the ombudsman’s address. Corporal punishment of children violates the basic principles of human rights – the right to physical integrity and human dignity. The need for prohibiting corporal punishment of the child has been also highlighted by both domestic and international organisations. For example, Estonia has been criticised by the UN Committee of the Rights of the Child as well as the Council of Europe Committee of Social Rights for the lack of regulations on the matter. The Ombudsman for Children sent the relevant address also to the Ministers of Justice, Internal Affairs, and Education and Research, as well as the Riigikogu. 4. Local cooperation During the reporting year, advisers to the Ombudsman for Children also cooperated with several non-profit associations and organisations, in addition to state and local government bodies, for protecting and promoting the rights of children: the Estonian Association of School Psychologists, the Estonian Association of Pupils’s Representative Bodies, Just Film, the Union for Child Welfare, the Chamber for the Protection of the Interests of Children, children’s helpline, Family Centre You and Me, etc. 5. International cooperation In spring 2012, the first meeting of all the three ombudsmen of children of the Baltic countries took place. During the two-day meeting, the participants exchanged examples of good practice, shared experiences and discussed common problems and future cooperation possibilities. In the framework of international cooperation, in spring 2012 the Finnish ombudsman for children and the adviser to the Finnish parliamentary ombudsman visited the Chancellor of Justice, and together with the Chancellor’s advisers they participated in the inspection visit to Maarjamäe Centre of Tallinn Children’s Home. In August 2012, the Chancellor of Justice was visited by the Polish ombudsman for children Marek Michalak, who was Chairman of the European Network of Ombudspersons for Children (ENOC), in order to assess the suitability of the Chancellor of Justice to become a member of ENOC. The Chairman of ENOC together with advisers to the Chancellor also participated in the inspection visit to Lasnamäe Centre of Tallinn Children’s Home. In September 2012, the Chancellor of Justice was accepted as full member of the European Network of Ombudspersons for Children (ENOC). In October 2012, the Chancellor of Justice 26 39 Available online: http://lasteombudsman.ee/en/chancellor-of-justices-public-address-to-the-minister-ofsocial-affairs-on-prohibition-of-corporal.