Crisis No Excuse for Human Rights Abuse
"We need to be careful to prevent abuse of human rights under the pretext that this cannot be avoided in a time of crisis," Nussdorfer has told the STA. She says that special attention must be devoted to the most vulnerable groups of population such as children, people with disabilities and the elderly.
The Slovenian branch of the human rights organisation Amnesty International has meanwhile underscored that the state should not be allowed to fail to respond appropriately to violations of human rights.
Amnesty International Slovenije director Nataša Posel points to the poor living conditions of the Roma in south-eastern parts of the country. She also says that the state has still not made a good enough effort to redress the rights of people who were deleted from the registry of permanent residents in 1992.
Several events will be held in Slovenia to mark International Human Rights Day. The Human Rights Ombudsman will host a reception for government officials, representatives of the civil society and diplomatic corps.
Nussdorfer will also chair a round-table debate at which Slovenia's most influential jurists will air their views on topical social and political issues.
A panel on human rights will also be held at the Ljubljana Faculty of Law, while UN guiding principles for standards that businesses should follow with respect to human rights will be presented at a forum hosted by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS).
The country's biggest trade union group, ZSSS, will stage a special event in front of the parliament building to draw public attention to worker rights.
Unemployment has become a business model of extortion for reducing worker rights standards at the global level, ZSSS secretary general Goran Lukič told a press conference on Monday.
The union underscores that the right to work is a basic human right and that the unemployed often face abuse of their human rights and discrimination, which is why it believes creation of jobs should be a priority.
This year, International Human Rights Day, marks the 20th anniversary since the establishment of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights under the Vienna Declaration; hence the theme "20 Years Working for Your Rights".