site.btaNational Ombudsman Manolova Reports Three Times More Complaints about Children's Rights Violations in 2016

National Ombudsman Manolova Reports Three Times More Complaints about Children's Rights Violations in 2016

Sofia, May 25 (BTA) - National Ombudsman Maya Manolova presented on Thursday her institution's annual report before two parliamentary committees - that on Children, Youth and Sports Matters, and than on Religion and Human Rights. The MPs adopted the document unanimously.

The number of complaints pertaining to children have increased three times in 2016, compared to the previous year, with violations established in 60 per cent of cases. The largest number of complaints were about children's rights in the family environment and the actions of the protection services - 75 in total.

There is a four-fold increase in the number of complaints concerning disabled children - from 16 in 2015 to 58 in 2016. Fifteen of the complaints submitted to the Ombudsman were about cases of violence and unacceptable education methods used in kindergartens and creches.

A total of 27,073 citizens have sough help from the National Ombudsman in 2016. Some 10,640 persons have submitted complaints and alerts, compared to 6,202 a year earlier.

The largest number of violations pertains to consumers' rights - 3,138. There were a total of 886 complaints submitted against heating utilities, 531 against mobile operators, 503 against electricity providers, 422 against water utilities, 322 against banks and 128 against arbitration courts.

The Ombudsman's legislative initiatives in 2016 are eleven, including amendments to the Civil Procedure Code, the Value Added Tax Act - for exempting donated food, the Social Insurance Code, etc.

The amendments to the Civil Procedure Code, which take consumer disputes outside the scope of arbitration courts, was reported by Manolova as the institution's biggest success last year. Reducing legal fees six times, which happened thanks to the Ombudsman's legislative changes, is another success she listed.

Manolova listed a few charitable campaigns for supporting socially disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, held under the Ombudsman's auspices, such as Easter for All, in which one million leva worth of money and food were donated to 32,500 Bulgarian pensioners.

Manolova paid special attention to the children's rights protection campaign "In Our Hands", directed towards children placed in institutions, those at risk of being in conflict with the law, unaccompanied migrant children and the so called "lone children" of Bulgarian guest workers, who have left them in the care of others while working abroad.