Two-year anniversary of preventive human rights control

Interventions by the Austrian Ombudsman Board have led to improvements in certain areas

„Since July 2012, the Austrian Ombudsman Board holds the constitutional mandate of safeguarding and enhancing human rights. After these first two years, a positive balance can be drawn, explains Dr. Gertrude Brinek, the current chairperson of the Austrian Ombudsman Board.

Brinek further underlines that the Austrian Ombudsman Board has created awareness that violence in youth welfare institutions cannot be seen as an educational method and that cage beds must be removed from psychiatric institutions. All in all, large sections of the population benefit from the monitoring activities in the areas of health and care, as these activities ensure preventive protection of human rights as well as the quality of operations in all facilities. The Austrian Ombudsman Board further clarified that facilities, such as the facility for detention pending (forced) returns in the city of Vordernberg (Styria), may not outsource tasks of public authority to private security companies.

Due to interventions by the Austrian Ombudsman Board, immediate measures in the area of law enforcement could be set. The Minister of Justice approved a number of 100 additional personnel positions that shall ensure increased access to therapeutic treatment, occupational activities as well as improved confinement times. Many of the deficiencies detected by the commissions were immediately revoked. In the area of youth custody, the Ministry has enacted a Task Force and initiated operations on the reconstruction of the detention facility in Gerasdorf, Lower Austria. “Our task now will be to critically monitor the implementation of this process”, explains Brinek.

Approximately 900 control visits and observations by the commissions

The commissions have so far conducted around 900 usually unannounced control visits and observations throughout Austria, of which 151 have taken place in police facilities, 81 in prisons, 121 in youth welfare facilities, 114 in facilities for people with disabilities, 186 in retirement- and nursing homes, 83 psychiatric institutions and hospitals as well as ten in barracks. Preventive protection against violations of human rights has been the focus of these visits. “These actions aim at detecting and defusing potential risk factors in the area of human rights violations”, specifies Brinek.

Comprehensive visits will be continued

“Even if first positives changes could be reported, we cannot lean back. As required by law, we are strongly committed to the preventive protection of human rights and will - together with the commissions - continue to conduct comprehensive control visits”, highlights Brinek. The Human Rights Advisory Council that supports the Austrian Ombudsman Board in this mission is decisively contributing to the preventive protection of human rights. “I am convinced that we will continue the excellent cooperation to advance the cause of protecting human rights”, concludes Brinek.