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Protection and promotion of human rights

The Austrian Ombudsman Board is the Human Rights House of the Republic of Austria. Our mandate according to the constitution is: the protection and promotion of human rights. 

The focus is on preventing human rights violations. The Ombudsman Board fulfils this task as so-called "National Preventive Mechanism" (NPM). The basis for this mandate is the "UN Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment" (OPCAT) and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD), which Austria has committed to upholding vis-à-vis the United Nations. The main aim is to improve the framework conditions. The Austrian Ombudsman Board supports institutions, organisations and legislators in ensuring that human rights violations do not occur in the first place.

Together with seven expert commissions, the Ombudsman Board fulfils the following tasks:

  1. Step 1: Controlling places where freedom is restricted

    People can be deprived of their liberty in various places, such as prisons, barracks, police stations, psychiatric facilities, retirement and nursing homes, crisis centers and residential communities for young people. In total, there are around 5,300 such public or private facilities across Austria. Every year, around 500 mostly unannounced control visits are carried out by expert commissions of the Ombudsman Board.

  2. Step 2: Monitoring facilities and programmes for persons with disabilities

    The Ombudsman Board and its commissions also visit and control facilities for persons with disabilities, such as long-term care and psychosocial facilities and day centers for persons with disabilities. The aim is to prevent every conceivable form of exploitation, violence and abuse. The Ombudsman Board thus implements the provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Austria.

  3. Step 3: Monitoring coercive measures

    With its commissions, the Austrian Ombudsman Board also monitors the administration as an executive power carrying out direct administrative power and coercive measures. This means that it observes police operations - large-scale raids, major events, meetings and demonstrations as well as deportations. The aim is to protect people and their rights. This applies to participants of demonstrations as well as to police officers. Furthermore, allegations of mistreatment against the police are investigated.