Government open to unprecedentedly hold election for more than a day
Cabinet does not expect a delay as opposition requests consensus and ensuring safety measures to vote
rafael ribó
Parliament speaker and ombudsman call for closure of migrant detention centers
Roger Torrent describes them as "greatest exponents of institutional racism"
Ombudsman calls for dialogue for independence conflict as trial ends
"Political conflict should be resolved by political means," says institution head
Ombudsman denounces 'concealment' of sexual abuse by Catholic Church
Investigation underway as new cases are reported
Catalan Ombudsman tells Council of Europe: 'There are political prisoners in Spain'
Rafael Ribó meets Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic to discuss political situation and fundamental rights in Catalonia
Catalan ombudsman demands release of jailed leaders
Rafael Ribó calls for “trial with all guarantees”
Far-right demonstration takes place in front of pro-independence party headquarters
Electoral Commission under fire as it bans elderly protest but allows far-right group gathering and Ombudsman starts inquiry
50,000 children suffer from food deprivation in Catalonia, according to the Catalan Ombudsman
The Catalan Ombudsman, Rafael Ribó, announced on Monday that 4% of children under the age of 16 suffer from food deprivation. Almost 50,000 children are not eating meat or fish at least once every two days, meaning they do not have a sufficient intake of protein. However, Ribó rejected there was a structural problem of malnutrition and linked the phenomenon to the economic crisis’ effects. Ribó asked the Catalan Government to act immediately to ensure that all children have access to enough food. The Ombudsman proposed 33 recommendations to reduce the child poverty rate, which currently stands at 28%, with approximately 345,000 children under the age of 16 living in poverty. The rate of extreme poverty has also increased in recent years and affects a tenth of Catalan children (130,000).
The Catalan Ombudsman states its resolutions cost 14 times less than those of the Spanish Ombudsman
The Catalan Ombudsman, Rafael Ribó, accused the Spanish Government of trying “to manipulate” data in its report last week, in order to push forward a recentralisation reform, which “goes against the self-government principle”. Ribó explained that the Spanish Ombudsman undertook 33,849 actions in 2012, which means each action cost an average of €428. In addition, it refused to accept 20,164 complaints. Meanwhile, the Catalan Ombudsman undertook 25,073 actions, with a cost of €279 each. The Catalan institution only rejected 267 complaints. Regarding resolutions and recommendations, the Spanish Ombudsman issued 548 while the Catalan body issued 3,635. This means that each resolution by the Spanish body cost €26,447 while the Catalan’s cost €1,925, which is 13.75 times less.
Controversy surrounds Barcelona’s Immigrant Internment Centre after an intern’s death last January
The death of a Guinean intern in the Immigrant Internment Centre (CIE) in Barcelona last January, plus the recent prohibition by the Spanish Government’s Delegate in Catalonia to allow the Catalan Ombudsman to visit the facilities of the centre, a month ago, has increased the feeling of distrust towards this type of institutions where immigrants without their residence permit are preventively held until they are sent back to their original countries.
The ‘Ombudsman’ has “less influence” and is under “threat of disappearance”
In an international conference taking place in Barcelona of Ombudsmen from Europe, America and Africa, the Catalan Ombudsman, Rafael Ribó, has warned that the institution has “less influence”. Furthermore, in some areas of Europe there is a threat that they will “disappear”. The Ombudsmen have been discussing their role in the face of the privatisation of basic services. The conference has been organised with the ‘Cercle d’Economia’, which is mainly an economic forum, open to businesspeople, academics and economic professionals.