Upon being informed about the alleged ruining of citizens’ health and threating the environment by emitting unpleasant odors by Priboj plastic incineration plant, the Protector of Citizens initiated an investigation to control work legality and regularity of the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

In their complaint to the Protector of Citizens, the citizens from Priboj stated that the foul odor from plastic incineration plant, located near hospital, kindergarten and school, could be felt between 10pm and 3am.

The Protector of Citizens has requested the competent ministry to notify him within 15 days whether it has been acquainted with the case, as well as what activities in this regard have been undertaken.

Today, on 1 June - the International Children’s Day, Mr. Zoran Pašalić, the Protector of Citizens has stated that Covid-19 pandemic has altered the way people live in the entire world and impacted the exercise of child rights.

"At the onset of the state of emergency, imposed in Serbia due to the pandemic the needs of children with specific necessities were not recognized, including children with autism, children who do not live with both parents, or suffer from specific illnesses, but, these omissions have been rectified or mitigated following the Protector of Citizens’ intervention”, Pašalić emphasized.

Mr. Pašalić stated that for years, he had been pointing out to problems faced by children, as a particularly vulnerable group, especially violence and neglect; but also to problems faced by “street children” or Roma children regarding child marriages and difficulties in accessing education.

At the online seminar of the European Network of Ombudspersons for Children (ENOC) whose regular spring event coincided with International Children’s Day, Ms. Jelena Stojanović, the Deputy Protector of Citizens for Child Rights, estimated that all Members of the Network were facing identical challenges regarding child rights.

“I cannot say that one right of children was more endangered than another one, but I believe that Covid-19 pandemic touched upon every segment of our lives, affected all rights of children and highlighted the weaknesses that were existent before the crisis”, Ms. Stojanović said.

"Therefore, I believe that the role of Ombudspersons is extremely important because they have an important role to point out the potential dangers to the realization of child rights, but also to rectify the omissions that occur", Stojanović said.

Further to the information from the media that in a village near Vlasotince a husband forced his wife into the car which he then let downhill, the Protector of Citizens launched own-initiative investigation into the work legality and regularity of the local Social Welfare Center and the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Serbia.

The Protector of Citizens has requested SWC Vlasotince to submit within 15 days a report on whether the family has been on the Center’s records and whether domestic violence has been previously reported, as well as what measures the Center may have taken to provide adequate support and protection to the family.

The Protector of Citizens has requested the Ministry of the Interior to submit a report on the activities carried out, focusing on the measures and activities the police carried out with a view to providing adequate support and protection to the victims.

Further to media reports that senior class pupils of "Slavko Rodić" Elementary School from Bački Jarak sexually abused a junior class special needs pupil, the Protector of Citizens initiated own-initiative investigation to control work regularity and legality of the educational facility.

The Protector of Citizens has requested the school to submit within 15 days a report and documentation on the measures and activities undertaken, as well as data on cooperation with the police and the guardianship authority in this case.

The school administration is also to submit to the Protector of Citizens a report on any activities, focusing on the perpetrators, as well as on the pupil victim, which are being undertaken.