Ombudsman at human rights hearing before UN body in Geneva

November 12, 2015

In his presentation before the relevant UN body Ombudsman Kräuter welcomed “the good and gratifying progress made, such as the abolition of net beds in psychiatric facilities, the legal clarification of the term torture or the obligation to announce supposed police operations to the Austrian Ombudsman Board.”

Shortcomings in human rights protection can however still be seen in regard to the treatment of unaccompanied minor refugees, the lack of employment opportunities in prisons or the unnecessary prescription of sedating medication for older people in nursing and care homes.

The UN Committee Against Torture is currently reviewing the human rights situation in Austria. In the course of this review government representatives as well as NGOs and the Austrian Ombudsman Board in its function as National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) are able to report to the Committee in Geneva.

The complete statement made by Ombudsman Dr. Günther Kräuter on 11 November 2015 is now available here