The Slovenia Times

UN body critical of Slovenia's treatment of refugees

Nekategorizirano


In its periodic report on Slovenia's implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Human Rights Committee recommends that Slovenia "regularly review the necessity and proportionality of the measures adopted".

Slovenia should also make sure it does not discriminate against any asylum applicants solely on the basis of their country of origin and ensure individual processing of asylum applications.

It should also ensure full respect of the principle of non-refoulement and "consider steps to facilitate the process of family reunification for beneficiaries of international protection".

The amendments of the defence act granting the army additional powers are "vague and broad, and lacking sufficient oversight, accountability and complaint mechanisms."

Similarly, the amendments to the international protection act, adopted in March 2016, "may undermine the rights of persons seeking protection against non-refoulement to have their application effectively determined".

The report also makes special mention of vulnerable persons in the migration flow, noting there is a lack of psychosocial support provided to such individuals at entry and exit points, as well as of a formal mechanism to refer victims to assistance.

The recommendations also refer to other areas, including Roma, the erased, hate speech, the human rights ombudsman, and discrimination on the basis of gender and sexual orientation.

The Human Rights Committee is concerned at the use of racist and xenophobic rhetoric by political figures towards persons belonging to minority groups, including migrants and refugees, and the rise of online hate speech.

Slovenia should strengthen its efforts to fight racism and xenophobia by providing effective legal remedies for those affected and condemning discrimination.

The report notes that "limited progress" had been achieved with respect to improving the situation of the Roma.

Of particular concern are the legislative distinctions between "the so-called 'autochthonous' and 'non-autochthonous' Roma communities, with only the former being granted special rights and opportunities and the latter being unrepresented at the local level."

Slovenia should do more to improve the participation of Roma in public life and ensure the effective prohibition of child and forced marriage.

Other areas of concern highlighted in the report include the underfunding of the Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman, underrepresentation of women, conditions in detention and the persistent backlogs at courts despite a significant reduction of pending cases.

On the other hand, Slovenia received some praise, notably for making stalking and forced marriage criminal offences, and for the adoption of national programmes dedicated to equal opportunities and the Roma.

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