site.btaCouncil of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Muiznieks Confers with Justice Minister Ivanov, Deputy PM Kalfin

Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Muiznieks Confers with Justice Minister Ivanov, Deputy PM Kalfin


Sofia, February 12 (BTA) - Council of Europe Commissioner for
Human Rights Nils Muiznieks conferred here with Justice Minister
Hristo Ivanov and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labour
and Social Policy Ivaylo Kalfin on Wednesday and Thursday.

Minister Ivanov and Council of Europe Commissioner Muiznieks
discussed the problems related to the legal assistance and
integration of
refugees in Bulgaria during their Wednesday working meeting,
said the Justice Ministry.

The legal status of disabled persons was also on the meeting's
agenda. Minister Ivanov familiarized Commissioner Muiznieks with
the natural persons bill his Ministry is drafting and the
supporting measures. Ivanov explained that an active public
discussion of the draft bill is to take place in order to inform
people about the problems this group faces.

The meeting also focused on the need to create a regulatory
framework for modern justice for children and restorative
justice in Bulgaria.

Minister Ivanov and Commissioner Muiznieks have also discussed
the legal problems related to hate speech and the ways it can be
sanctioned.

The process of de-instutionalization in Bulgaria and the policy
regarding refugees were topics of discussion during Muiznieks'
Thursday meeting with Kalfin, the Labour and Social Policy
Ministry reported.

Minister Kalfin has introduced the guest to the social services
provided for the elderly. The policies' focus is to develop
services in the home and support the families which care for
dependent members, he explained.

Kalfin and Muiznieks also discussed Bulgaria's policies for
refugees. The Minister said that a National Council on Migration
and Integration has been established and will be co-chaired by
himself. Kalfin also said that talks are being held with
representatives of various sectors for overcoming the problem
with refugees' employment in Bulgaria.

Bulgaria should ensure that children's rights are fully
respected in the process of de-institutionalisation and
reforming the juvenile justice system, Muiznieks said at the end
of his three-day visit to Bulgaria, quoted by his press office.

"Bulgaria should stop placing children in institutions such as
Correctional Boarding Schools, which were created several
decades ago to deal with children's 'anti-social behaviour' and
where children victims of violence are kept together with young
offenders," said the Commissioner after visiting one such
institution for girls in Podem. "A reform of the juvenile
justice system is needed to replace the outdated repressive
legislation with one fully protecting children's rights and
enabling children at risk and in conflict with the law to fully
re-integrate into society," Muiznieks is quoted as saying.

Referring to reported cases of violence perpetrated in several
types of institutions for children, both among children and by
adults, the Commissioner called on the Bulgarian authorities to
investigate such allegations and protect children from further
harm. "The introduction in 2012 of the National Preventive
Mechanism run by the Ombudsman Office is a step in the right
direction. However, it needs additional human and financial
resources to be able to cover the existing 650 institutions
where adults and children can be deprived of their liberty."

As concerns de-institutionalisation of children more generally,
Bulgaria's efforts have led to a significant decrease in the
number of children living in institutions since the beginning of
the process in 2001, the press release reads. "However, the
authorities should further strengthen their focus on measures to
support families and prevent separation of children from their
parents. Particular attention should be paid to avoid
re-institutionalisation in smaller institutions that do not
fully enable children to enjoy their right to live in the
community," Muiznieks said.

Bulgaria should also be more ambitious concerning
de-institutionalisation of adults with disabilities, setting
clear targets and time-frames for the implementation of the
strategy it recently adopted in this field. Referring to the
on-going reform of the legal capacity system, the Commissioner
strongly encouraged the Bulgarian authorities to move forward
and bring it in line with the UN Convention of the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities. "In addition to legislative changes,
everything should be put in place to give persons with
disabilities access to the necessary support to make decisions
about where and with whom to live or what community services to
access," the Commissioner noted.

As regards media freedom, the Commissioner is concerned at the
insufficient transparency of media ownership and financing and
lack of action against media concentration. This has reportedly
resulted in a media landscape worryingly characterised by many
outlets serving few interests. Referring to the recent
imposition of high fines by the Bulgarian financial supervision
authority on media reporting on companies' financial activities
and the banking sector, he said that this is very disturbing.
"In a context already characterised by limited space for free
reporting in the public interest, these fines clearly induce
further self-censorship," he underscored.

"While I was heartened to see that material and living
conditions of asylum seekers have improved since my last visit
one year ago, progress needs to be sustained through adequate
allocation of funds to ensure the proper running of all the
reception centres throughout the country," said the Commissioner
after his visit to the Voenna Rampa Reception Centre. "Much
more needs to be done to meet the special needs of asylum
seekers in a vulnerable situation, such as unaccompanied
minors."

Noting that the legislation on asylum and refugees was under
review, the Commissioner stresses that administrative detention
of asylum seekers can only be used as a last resort and for the
shortest period of time. The Commissioner also urges the
authorities to investigate allegations of push-backs at the
border and take all necessary steps to prevent any such
practices. Lastly, he calls for an ambitious integration
strategy with concrete measures, including measures aimed at
tackling hate speech and countering the worrying number of hate
crimes recently perpetrated against asylum seekers and refugees,
the press release reads.