The Deputy Ombudsman, Ravi Afonso Pereira, and Cristina Sá Costa (Head of International Relations) participated in the 109th Session of the United Nations Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, held in Geneva on 18-19 April, during which there was a dialogue between the Portuguese State and the Committee on the implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of…
The Ombudsperson, Maria Lúcia Amaral, received on 19 April a visit from a delegation of the Human Rights and Equality Institution of Turkey (HREIT) led by its president, Muharrem Kiliç. The visit was intended to allow the exchange of experience and good practices, particularly in the function of National Preventive Mechanism that both institutions ensure in their respective countries.
The Portuguese Ombudsperson, Maria Lúcia Amaral, and the Deputy Ombudsman, Ravi Afonso Pereira, participated in the General Assembly and Annual Conference of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI), that took place between 14 and 16 March, in Geneva, on the occasion of the commemorations of the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the…
The Ombudsman welcomes the intention communicated to her by the Executive Council of the Social Security Institute (ISS) to extend the validity of the informal carers ID card to one year. The current period of validity of the card is only three months, and it is true that among the approximately 11,000 informal carers already recognised, there are those who…
The Ombudsman informed the Secretary of State for Health on receipt of various complaints from citizens holding medical certificates for multiple disabilities (AMIM) whose validity had expired on 31st December 2022, despite having requested re-examination of their situation in due time. The situation is due to the persistent delay in scheduling a medical committee, and covers people who had requested…
The Portuguese Postal Service (CTT) is unduly demanding payment of Value Added Tax (VAT) on small-value non-EU remittances between private individuals, concluded the Ombudsman after examining several complaints in this regard. In a recommendation addressed to the Chairman of the Board of Directors of CTT – Correios de Portugal, S.A. and communicated to the Director of Customs Regulation Services of…
On 10 December the international community celebrates International Human Rights Day, marking the moment when the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. Constituting a civilizational milestone in our collective history, the Declaration brought to the legal, social and cultural level the strong idea that all human beings are holders of inalienable rights, regardless…
The Ombudsman has received various complaints about delays in the issue of the Former Combatant’s Card, and it has been established that these delays are often the result of out-of-date data from the applicants. In order to update this data, interested parties may access the Balcão Único da Defesa and submit the completed form, which is available there. Alternatively, this…
The Ombudsman, Maria Lúcia Amaral, was in Parliament for a presencial hearing on the legislative initiatives under appraisal by the Working Group on the legal framework of Professional Associations. The hearing took place at the request of the coordinator of the Working Group, constituted in the scope of the Commission of Labour, Social Security and Inclusion.
The Ombudsman, Maria Lúcia Amaral, participated in the XXVII General Assembly of the FIO, Ibero-American Federation of Ombudsmen, which took place in Mexico City from 28 November to 1 December 2022. The work brought together more than a hundred representatives of public human rights bodies from 21 countries. They focused in particular on the challenges posed by the pandemic and…
