Statement by the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights on the occasion of the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

The legal and institutional frameworks of protection against discrimination have been well established for decades in Europe and Hungary. According to the case-law of the Constitutional Court, sexual identity, sexual orientation is an integral part of a colorful human personality, an immutable characteristic of the core of that personality, based on which no one shall be discriminated against.
2018. május. 17.

The Commissioner for Fundamental Rights on some practical and regulatory issues related to ensuring the human and technical resources of supervised contacts

Having ex officio extended his investigation launched on the basis of a complaint, the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights has established that the current system of criteria and regulatory environment of supervised contacts in family and childcare centers, as well as the cooperation and the proceedings of the competent organs, give cause for serious concern. In order to eliminate this anomaly affecting the rights of the children concerned and their relatives, Ombudsman László Székely has sent a detailed list of recommendations to the competent ministry and the heads of the government offices.
2018. április. 25.

The Commissioner and the Ombudsman for Future Generations have found several problems in the legal regulation relating to the dismantling of the asbestos cement factory in Lőrinc

The Commissioner for Fundamental Rights, László Székely and the Ombudsman for Future Generations, Gyula Bándi in their joint investigation have found several fundamental rights violations in connection with the dismantling of the asbestos cement factory in Lőrinc.
2018. április. 23.

The Commissioner for Fundamental Rights on regulating the ways of making statements by the blind and the visually impaired

There is a regulation requiring the blind and the visually impaired to make a legal statement for real estate registration purposes in the form of a public document; therefore, they have, inter alia, to make a contract for the purchase of the immovable property also in the form of a public document. The Commissioner for Fundamental Rights has concluded that it violates their right of self-determination and freedom of action, and, as a result, infringes on the right to equal human dignity for all. László Székely has made recommendations to the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Agriculture to amend the regulation.
2018. április. 17.

Communication by the Deputy Ombudsman for National Minorities on the occasion of the International Roma Day

"There are two golden bands on my forehead. One is my Gypsy identity and the other one is my Hungarian identity." The quote comes from Tamás Péli, a painter whose thoughts are a faithful reflection on the dual identity of the Roma / Gypsy communities in Hungary.
2018. április. 06.

Resources needed for prevention and basic child welfare services - the Ombudsman’s statement on the practice of placing children in child protection care primarily for financial reasons

No favorable changes have taken place since the earlier investigations: one out of three children who are placed in child protection care continues to be removed from their families for financial reasons. Ombudsman László Székely thinks that this alarming measure, which violates the rights of the child, could be replaced by prevention, the strengthening of basic child welfare services and temporary placement, as well as the accompanying social policy measures. The Commissioner for Fundamental Rights turned to the Minister of Human Capacities with his recommendations.
2018. március. 21.

The protection of the rights of children who fall victim to prostitution and the possible means of prevention – follow-up investigation conducted by the commissioner for fundamental rights

It raises concerns that those children in a coerced situation who are caught in the act of prostitution continue to be threatened by misdemeanor procedures and sanctions, said Ombudsman László Székely in his follow-up report. The Commissioner thinks that rather than insisting on solutions involving law enforcement, the experts of the child protection system should be strengthened and better prepared to recognize endangerment in time and to take meaningful actions against it. In the report, it is not only a number of legislative and practical measures that are recommended but attention is drawn to best practices as well.
2018. március. 20.

The Commissioner for Fundamental Rights on preventing wrongful removal

Incomplete and ambiguous domestic regulations and the authorities’ practices based thereon do not properly ensure the prevention of international child abductions. It infringes upon the rights of the parents concerned and their children, concluded László Székely. In the report on his comprehensive investigation, the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights calls for the revision of the relevant regulations, the education of experts, providing more information to parents moving abroad, and the wider use of mediation.
2018. március. 19.

International conference on the problem of air pollution caused by domestic heating

On February 27, 2018, the Ombudsman for Future Generations, together with the Hungarian Clean Air Action Group, in partnership with the German Deutsche Umwelthilfe and the Danish Ecological Council organized an international conference on the problem of air pollution caused by domestic heating. Nearly 80 experts attended this event, representing the competent ministries, environmental authorities and non-governmental organizations.
2018. február. 28.

Statement of the Deputy Commissioner for the Rights of National Minorities living in Hungary on the occasion of the International Mother Language Day

More than six thousand languages are spoken in the world in our days, a large part of which are threatened with extinction. The languages spoken by indigenous people disappear from the ranks of live languages slowly but surely. This process seems to be unstoppable, this is why it is especially important to call the world’s attention to this sad phenomenon and also, to the unique role that the use of languages plays in preserving culture.
2018. február. 26.